Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

Carl Vinson Institute of Government

The University of Georgia

January 11

1820 Sometime after 1 a.m., a fire broke out in a livery stable behind a boarding house in Savannah. The fire spread to Bay Street and then on the city market, where illegal kegs of gunpowder were stored. There was a massive explosion, resulting in the fire spreading throughout the city. By the next afternoon, 463 buildings had been burned to the ground, and two out of every three Savannah residents were homeless. The cause of the fire was never officially determined, though it was believed to have been arson.

1861 Alabama became the fourth southern state to secede. In the course of three days, Mississippi, Florida, and now Alabama had seceded. All eyes would soon turn to Georgia, where a secession convention was scheduled to convene in five days.

1865 U.S. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton arrived in Savannah to see Sherman. The visit was not over military strategy but rather in response to concerns over Sherman's treatment of freed blacks. Word had reached the North that during the March to the Sea, Union Gen. Jefferson C. Davis had caused the death of hundreds of freed slaves at Ebenezer Creek, when he ordered the pontoon bridge removed before the former slaves following his army could cross the creek. Few could swim, but rather than be left behind, many jumped in the water and drowned while trying to make to the other side. Also, it was rumored that many of those left behind had been killed by Confederate cavalry. And, there were other charges. Gen. Henry Halleck, a friend of Sherman's, had written him to warn:

"They say you have manifested an almost 'criminal' dislike of the Negro, and that you are not willing to carry out the wishes of the Government in regard to him, but repulse him with contempt. They say you might have brought with you to Savannah more than 50,000, thus stripping Georgia of that number of laborers, and opening a road by which as many more could have escaped from their masters; but that, instead of this, you drove them from your ranks."

Stanton, a staunch abolitionist, had decided to come personally to investigate. He proceeded by holding a meeting with Sherman and a group of 20 black ministers. At first, Stanton asked about enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. Then, he asked Sherman to step out of the room. Stanton then asked the ministers about Sherman's actions toward blacks. They cleared Sherman, describing him as "a friend and a gentleman" in his treatment of blacks. Stanton recalled Sherman to ask about the Ebenezer Creek tragedy. Sherman excused the incident as blown out of proportion. No blacks had been turned back, and Gen. Davis had removed the bridge simply because he needed to carry it with him. Also, as far as Sherman knew, no freed slaves had been killed by the Confederates. Whether Stanton was convinced is not known, but this ended his investigation.

1869 At the Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, church pastor Kelly Lowe organized the first Sunday School for blacks in the U.S.

1929 Educator David C. Barrow, Jr. died in Athens, Ga. Born Oct. 18, 1852 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. His family moved to Athens while he was still young. Barrow entered the University as a student in 1869 and graduated in 1874. He began his career in education when he became an adjunct professor in 1879. Barrow's devotion to teaching and firm, but fair, ways of dealing with students helped him progress to full professor to dean of arts and sciences, and ultimately to chancellor of the University in 1906. Barrow served as chancellor until his retirement in 1925. During his tenure, the University enlarged all its existing schools, plus added schools of commerce, education, forestry, and journalism. Enrollment increased more than 400 percent, and the first female students were admitted. Faculty size tripled, while funding increased over ten-fold. All of this, along with his very strong moral and spiritual leadership, made Barrow one of the most important people in the history of the University of Georgia. His legacy is honored by having his name on an Athens elementary school, an Athens street, and various legacies at the University. In 1914, the General Assembly named a new county in his memory.

1954 Gov. Herman Talmadge signed legislation prohibiting city and county peace officers from joining or being a member of any labor union.

1955 Marvin Griffin was sworn in as Georgia governor. He had campaigned for election on a platform committed to segregation, the county-unit system, states rights, and economy in state government. After the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 and 1955 rulings in the Brown v. Board of Education case, Griffin would devote himself to a policy of "massive resistance" to federally imposed school integration. [See Sept. 4 entry for biographical information.]

1955 Former Georgia governor John M. Slaton died. [See Dec. 25 entry for biographical information.]

1961 Black students Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes attended their first day of classes at the University of Georgia without any serious incidents. That evening, however, the situation changed. After a Georgia-Georgia Tech basketball game on campus, a large group of students left the coliseum and marched on Myers Hall, where Hunter was staying. By the time they arrived, known Klan members had joined the group. Now, they were an angry mob shouting racial epithets and defiance to integration. Several students displayed a large banner saying "Nigger go home," while other students started fires or threw bricks at the dorm. Athens and University police tried to break up the demonstration, finally having to resort to tear gas and water hoses. Hunter was not injured, but Myers Hall received extensive damage. Fearing for their safety, University officials decided to temporarily withdraw Hunter and Holmes from school. That night, Georgia state troopers carried the two back to Atlanta.

1983 Former state representative and Cartersville native Joe Frank Harris was inaugurated for his first term as governor. He would serve two consecutive four-year terms (1983-1991). Harris is probably best remembered for enactment of Georgia's Quality Basic Education Act and helping Atlanta's winning bid for the 1996 Olympics.

2003 The Atlanta Falcons lost to the Philadephia Eagles, leaving them short in their attempt to reach the 2003 Super Bowl.

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1870 The Atlanta Constitution responded to the opening of the city's first skating rink with this tongue-in-cheek column of advice for the novice skater:

"ADVICE TO SKATERS. -- We give the following advice gratis to those learning how to skate: Never try to skate in two directions at once. Though often made by beginners, this movement has never proved a success. Eat a few apples while skating, and throw the cores on the floor for fast skaters to break their shins over. Then lay back and enjoy the fun. Sit down occasionally -- no matter where -- right in the way of the rest, if you want to -- only be certain to set down often. There is no law to prevent you from sitting down when you are so inclined. When you meet a peculiarly handsome lady, try to skate on both sides of her at once. This will create a sensation, too, if her lover or big brother happens to be about.

"When sitting down, do it gradually and gracefully. Don't be too sudden, something might break. Don't give up at the first fall. Remember that the greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall. When entitled to the floor, never display your pedal extremities elevated above your head. It might cause a descent of brain, and besides it is a feat too unpolite for the skating circle. Never disturb the equilibrium of your body, by gyrations with the hands. Keep them in your pockets, and by all means never try to skate on all fours, or on your head."

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), Vol. I, pp. 841-842.

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© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia

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