Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

Carl Vinson Institute of Government

The University of Georgia

November 22

1754 Educator and politician Abraham Baldwin was born in North Guilford, Connecticut. Raised in New England, he attended and taught at Yale College, studying both theology and law. In 1779 he joined the American Revolutionary army as a chaplain. While serving in New York and New Jersey he befriended George Washington and Nathaniel Greene, among other revolutionary leaders. Yale tried to re-hire him after the war, but Baldwin had decided to pursue a life outside the ministry. His friend Nathaniel Greene had been given land in Georgia confiscated from a Loyalist, and convinced Baldwin to come south as well. Baldwin moved to Savannah in 1783 and adopted Georgia as his home.

Baldwin was immediately accepted into Georgia society and began practicing law. But his leadership qualities soon led him to a political career, which began in the Georgia legislature. There, in 1784, he was appointed to a board of trustees to establish and maintain forty thousand acres of land for a "college or seminary of learning." Baldwin wrote the charter for this institution, which was adopted in 1785 (making the University of Georgia the first state-chartered university in the country). A war with the Creek Indians prevented the university from being established immediately, but in 1801 a sight overlooking the Oconee River was selected for its home. Here, not only would a university be built but but the town of Athens, named to recall the classical culture of ancient Greece. For the University's first president Baldwin recommended a former fellow-Yale student, Josiah Meigs.

Baldwin's contributions were not limited to the Georgia legislature and the University of Georgia. In 1787, he was selected as one of Georgia's delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. At one point, with the convention on the verge of dissolving over the matter of equal versus proportional representation in Congress, Baldwin strategically cast a vote that caused a tie over the issue and led to the convention's adjournment while a compromise could be found. The result of his vote was the Great Compromise creating a bicameral Congress with equal representation of states in one house (the Senate) and proportional representation in the other (the House of Representatives). In 1798, the Georgia General Assembly elected Baldwin to the United States Senate, where he served until his death in Washington, DC on March 4, 1807. In 1803, the Georgia General Assembly created a new county named in his honor.

1864 This was an eventful day in Georgia arising from Sherman's March to the Sea.

• Ten miles northeast of Macon, the Battle of Griswoldville -- the first and only major battle during the March to the Sea -- was fought. Part of Sherman's plan had been to confuse Confederate forces on his strategy by making it appear that Macon and Augusta were among the targets of his march. Toward this end, as the 15th Corps continued its march toward Gordon, Gen. Charles Walcutt took a brigade of seasoned infantry and cavalry to feign an attack on Macon. After burning much of Griswoldville, Union forces fortified themselves nearby on Duncan's farm and waited for an expected Confederate attack. As it turned out, the 1st division of the Georgia Militia (a force of about 3,000 irregulars -- mainly young boys and old men -- under Brig. Gen. Pleasant J. Phillips) had been ordered to Augusta, which Confederates believed was Sherman's real target. Apparently by accident, Phillips' Georgia Militia encountered the waiting Union. Though instructed to avoid a direct battle, Phillips decided otherwise. Though the Union force was outnumbered, the battle was no even match. They were veterans, entrenched, and had repeating rifles. Through three infantry advances, the inexperienced Confederate militia wilted in the face of heavy Union fire. Finally, Phillips ordered a retreat to Macon. Afterwards, a Union officer present described the scene, "Old, gray-haired men and weakly looking men and little boys not over 15 years old lay dead or writhing in pain. I did pity those boys." Though there are no official records of Confederate loses, the Macon newspaper reported Confederate loses at 1,500 casualties. One Union officer reported that up to one-half of the entire Confederate militia force was killed, wounded, or captured. The National Park Service, however, estimates 625 Confederate casualties versus 62 for the Union forces. Recent studies of the battle indicate that the Confederates had 50 killed and 472 wounded, while Union losses were 13 dead and 79 wounded.

"Of course, we confiscated his property . . . . I sent word back to General Davis to explain whose plantation it was and instructed him to spare nothing. That night huge bonfires consumed the fence-rails, kept our soldiers warm, and the teamsters and men, as well as the slaves, carried off an immense quantity of corn and provisions of all sorts."

• The 20th Corps entered Milledgeville, Georgia's state capital.

1899 Hoagy Carmichael, composer of Georgia's official state song -- "Georgia" -- was born in Bloomington, Indiana. He died Dec. 27, 1981 in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

1930 Elijah Muhammad, born in Sandersville, Ga. in , founded the Nation of Islam in Detroit, Michigan.

1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt arrived in Warm Springs, Ga. for his thirty-sixth visit to his "second home."

1963 Across the state, flags were lowered to half-staff as Georgians heard with disbelief that Pres. John Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas and the nation had a new president -- Lyndon B. Johnson.

1989 Construction began on the Georgia Dome.

1998 Playing in the Georgia Dome, after trailing 13-3 late in the third quarter, the Atlanta Falcons came back to beat the Chicago Bears 20-13 to go 9-2 for the season and set yet another record for best start in franchise history. With just over six minutes left in the game, Falcon quarterback Chris Chandler was injured and had to leave the game with a badly sprained ankle and knee. The win kept the Falcons in first place in the NFC West. [To view photos of game, click here.] [Click here for CNN-SI review of the game.]
 
 
 
 

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1861 In his journal, John Banks of Columbus, Ga., recorded the early progress of the Civil War with guarded optimism:

"The war is still progressing with increased vigor. Since I last made a note many battles have been fought and most of them terminating in favor of the Confederacy. The Yankees have taken Port Royal, South Carolina, and Beaufort. Have a formidable armada on our coast and preparing for descending the Mississippi river from Cairo. A fatal battle just occurred at Columbus, Ky. Our side victorious. Great excitement there and at Memphis a renewal anticipated. If the Federals should prove successful, it is thought Memphis will be their next point of attack.

"Watkins and Eugene [two of his seven sons that would fight for the Confederacy] still near Manassas and some talk of their being ordered, with Toombs brigade, to the Southern coast, which I desire. At this time the prospects are gloomy and no green spot ahead.

"General Toombs and Ben Hill just elected senators to the Confederate Congress, which shows a healthy state in our Legislature. Ganey is elected senator from Alabama, though not returned from England, where he is our Minister.

"Just heard the fighting is now going on at Pensacola."

Source: John Banks, Autobiography of John Banks, 1797 - 1870 (Austell, Ga.: privately printed by Elberta Leonard, 1936), pp. 24-25.

1864 Before retreating from Atlanta, Gen. Hood had selected Capt. Shannon and thirty members of the 8th Texas Cavalry (Terry's Texas Rangers) to serve as special scouts for a secret mission: follow and report on Sherman's army during its March to the Sea. However, the scouts quickly had taken on another mission: attacking Union stragglers and foragers. One of the scouts, Pvt. Enoch John, kept a diary during the mission. Today's entry noted an action by the Rangers at or near Eatonton, Ga:

"To-day we followed on and whipped about 1,000 negroes, who were on thier [sic] way to the enemy. We camped at dark."

Source: Diary of Cpl. Enoch John

1864 With Sherman's forces out of Covington, Ga., Dolly Lunt Burge recorded in her journal of a sad lament:

"After breakfast this morning I went over to my grave-yard to see what had befallen that. To my joy, I found it had not been disturbed. As I stood by my dead, I felt rejoiced that they were at rest. Never have I felt so perfectly reconciled to the death of my husband as I do to-day, while looking upon the ruin of his lifelong labor. How it would have grieved him to see such destruction! Yes, theirs is the lot to be envied. At rest, rest from care, rest from heartaches, from trouble. . . . Found one of my large hogs killed just outside the grave-yard. Walked down to the swamp, looking for the wagon and gear that Henry hid before he was taken off. Found some of my sheep; came home very much wearied, having walked over four miles. Mr. and Mrs. Rockmore called. Major Lee came down again after some cattle, and while he was here the alarm was given that more Yankees were coming. I was terribly alarmed and packed my trunks with clothing, feeling assured that we should be burned out now. Major Lee swore that he would shoot, which frightened me, for he was intoxicated enough to make him ambitious. He rode off in the direction whence it was said they were coming, Soon after, however, he returned, saying it was a false alarm, that it was some of our own men. Oh, dear! Are we to be always living in fear and dread! Oh, the horrors, the horrors of war!"

Source: A Woman's Wartime Journal: an Account of the Passage over a Georgia Plantation of Sherman's Army on the March to the Sea, as recorded in the Diary of Dolly Sumner Lunt (Mrs. Thomas Burge)

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© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia

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