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Savannah is one of America's great
cities and is rich with history from the colonial days to the present.
During the Civil War, it was one of the most important cities for the
Confederacy, and the goal of Gen. W.T. Sherman's army as he marched to the
sea to resupply his men in late 1864. Today it boasts more than 1,200
historic structures, 20 beautiful squares, and much, much more. You can
begin your tour by going to the Savannah Visitors Center. Several days are
needed to see all the area has to offer. There are some general Civil War
sites not to be missed. Factors Walk, located along the river bluff on Bay
St., was a 19th century meeting place and center of commerce for cotton
merchants. It looks much like it did when Sherman's men occupied the town.
The Andrew Low House, 329 Abercorn St., was built in 1848 by a wealthy
cotton merchant whose son married Juliette Magill Gordon, founder of the
Girl Scouts. The home hosted Robert E. Lee, Union generals, and many other
famous people. For tour information, call 912-233-6854. The Juliette
Gordon Low birthplace home, 142 Bull St. is also available to tour. Low,
as a young girl, is said to have told U.S. Gen. O.O. Howard, who was
missing an arm, "I shouldn't wonder if my papa did it! He's shot lots of
Yankees!" Sherman visited many times. 912-233-4501. The Olde Pink House,
23 Abercorn St., 912-232-4286, was built in 1771 and used as a
headquarters for Union General York. Today it is a restaurant and tavern.
The Sorrel-Weed House, 1840, at Harris St. in Madison Square, was the home
of G. Moxley Sorrel, who won fame as one of Lee's lieutenants. Sorrel
became brigadier general at age 26 and was called the "best staff officer
in the Confederate Service." At Bull and Taylor Streets in Monterey Square
is the Comer House, where Jefferson Davis was a guest in 1886 for the
celebration of the centennial of the Chatham Artillery, during which many
parties and celebrations were held. Union Army headquarters for Howard
were at Bull St. at Gaston St., named the Jackson House for Henry Jackson,
a brigadier general for the Confederacy.
After the war, Gen. Joe Johnston worked and lived in Savannah at 105 E.
Oglethorpe Ave., and was visited by many luminaries of the Civil War,
including Robert E. Lee, shortly before Lee's death. A marker on the home
commemorates this fact. Forsyth Park (Bull St. between Gaston St. and Park
Ave.), a 20-acre park laid out in 1851, was a campground for Union
soldiers during the occupation of Savannah. A huge Civil War memorial, one
of the largest in the South and the most expensive in the state, is
located in the park, honoring Chatham's war dead. With thousands of
citizens present, the monument was unveiled in 1875, with a statue called
"Judgment" on the top and a statue called "Silence" in a cupola. The
reaction to the memorial was negative, so a philanthropist stepped forward
and the memorial was "fixed" and unveiled a second time in 1879, at a
total cost of $35,000. A soldier was on top, the cupola was bricked up,
"Silence" was sent to Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah, and "Judgment"
was sent to Thomasville.
Historic Meeting Meeting between General Sherman and 20 Black Ministers
in Savannah
On the evening of January 12, 1865, one of the most remarkable gatherings
of the Civil War took place in Savannah. Twenty black ministers and lay
leaders joined Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton and General William T.
Sherman at the generals headquarters in the mansion of Charles Green (The
Green-Meldrim House) on January 12, 1865. They had been summoned to
consider the future of the thousands of slaves freed by the devastating
march of Shermans army. The Reverend Garrison Frazier, 67, was chosen to
represent the views of Savannahs black leadership.
The Reverend Ulysses L. Houston and the Reverend William J. Campbell were
among the twenty ministers who met with Secretary of War Stanton and
General Sherman.
Garrison Frazier being chosen by the persons present to express their
common sentiments upon the matters of inquiry, makes answers to inquiries
as follows:
First: State what your understanding is in regard to the acts of
Congress and President Lincolns [Emancipation] proclamation, touching the
condition of the colored people in the Rebel States.
Answer: So far as I understand President
Lincolns proclamation to the Rebellious States, it is, that if they would
lay down their arms and submit to the laws of the United States before the
first of January, 1863, all should be well; but if they did not, then all
the slaves in the Rebel States should be free henceforth and forever. That
is what I understood.
Second: State what you understand
by Slavery and the freedom that was to be given by the Presidents
proclamation.
Answer: Slavery is, receiving by
irresistible power the work of another man, and not by his consent. The
freedom, as I understand it, promised by the proclamation, is taking us
from under the yoke of bondage, and placing us where we could reap the
fruit of our own labor, take care of ourselves and assist the Government
in maintaining our freedom.
Fourth: State in what manner you would rather livewhether
scattered among the whites or in colonies by yourselves.
Answer: I would prefer to live by ourselves, for there is a
prejudice against us in the South that will take years to get over . . .
Excerpted from Free at Last, A Documentary History of Slavery, Freedom,
and The Civil War |
Andrew Low House
