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THE COUNTRYMAN.
By J. A. TURNER. “ INDEPENDENT IN EVERYTHING—NEUTRAL IN NOTHING ’ $5 lor Three Mouths.
YOL. XX. TURNWOLD (NEAR EATONTON) GA„ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1865. NO. 9.
THE LIFE OF AX AMERICAN CITIZEN:
S1EING THE
BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM TURNER,
i.ATE or PUTNAM COUNTY, GA.
BY ms SON, J. A. TURNER.
CHAPTER XV.
A. D. 1813—26th Year —War with Great Britain
—Military Aflairs on the Mississippi—Letters
from Tilman Turner—Letter from Francis
Hardaway—Letter from Joseph Sturdivant—
Journey from Georgia to Virginia—Castes in
Virginia—Causes of their Destruction—Let
ter Irom Tilman Turner—Letter from Hon.
BoilingJIalt—Course of his Enemies—Estab
lishing the Methodist Faith, by a Law of
Congress—Movements of U. S. Army—Gens.
Hampton, Williams, and Harrison—Battle
between the French and Russians, at Leipsic
—French Official Bulletin—Behavior of the
“ Feds”—Letter from William Turner, to his
Father—Indian Murders in Morgan county—
Lack of Money for the Army—Worthless
Quarter-Master—Loan and Alleviating Acts
—Letter from Hon. Bolling Hall—Matters in
Congress.
During the year 1813, war was going on be
tween the United States, and Great Britain. In
1798, the present states of Alabama, and Mis
sissippi, embraced in the scope of country ceded
to the English, by the French, upon the peace
of 1763, were organized into one territory, call
ed Mississippi Territory. The Mississippi riv-
<er was the scene of active hostilities, or of pre
parations for active hostilities,between the two
belligerents, which culminated in Jackson’s
victory over Pakenham, on the 8th day of Jan
uary, 1815. Everything connected with the
movement of the U. S. troops, at that period,
»nd in connection with the concentration of
causes, and events, that finally gave Jackson
his signal victory, will be perused with inter
est. In this view. 1 present my readers with a
letter from Tilman Turner, which will give
them some idea of military life upon the Mis
sissippi, at the time of the letter’s date: The
letter is postmarked “Creek Agency, 29th
March.” and is directed to “ Mr. Wm, Turner,
Putnam County, Georgia, 1 ' and was sent by the
band of “Lieut. Triptell.” It reads as fol
lows:
" English Turn, 5th March, 1813.
Deab William :
Your letter, of the 9th January, ( received
several days ago, and ( am extremely sorry to
hear of the death of our relations, but console
myself with the reflection that they are gone to
a better world. I am also sorry to learn that
your father’s black family is so much afflicted.
The utmost confidence is placed, by me, in
itbose who gia-y have to settle the affairs of my
father’s estate, believing that they will “ do as
they would be done by.”
Our camp is eighteen miles below New Or
leans, on the banks of the Mississippi, and
three miles from that noted place, Terre au
Boeuf, where the great mortality among the
troops was, in 1809. The ground, on which
we are, is lower than the water in the river,
which is kept from overflowing us by a levee
thrown up on the banks : consequently a very
little rain makes the cantonment very muddy.
We have now, the winter is past, grit into good
quarters, after having remained, since August,
jn tents. } occupy two good rooms, and am o:x-
tremeiy healthy. I expect to go up to Natchez,
in a boat, in a fortnight, from which place I will
write you, ou tny arrival.
My best respects to relatives, and friends.
Yours, sincerely,
Tilman Turner.
To Mr. Wm. Turner.”
In further illustration of the above points, a
second letter from Tilman Turner is given. It
is directed to “ Mr. William Turner, near Ea
ton ton, Georgia,” and is postmarked, “ Wash
ington, M. T., Apr. 20.” The postage was 25c.
One evidence of the civilization of which Til-
man Turner speaks is, that the letter is post
marked in printed letters, by means of the
stamp now used, while the one mailed at
“ Creek Agency ” is postmarked with the pen.
Here is the letter
“ Washington, M. T., 20th April, 1813.
Dear William :
I feel glad in being enabled to inform you
that I have, once more, got to a civilized part
of the country, composed of Virginians, Caro
linians, and Georgians—a neat little village,
in the Mississippi Territory, about six miles
from Natchez, and three hundred from New
Orleans. I left the English Turn, about the
8th of last month, with four other officers of
our regiment, with orders to report at New
Orleans, to Gen. Wilkinson. We remained at
that place six days, and were then ordered to
proceed here with the least possible delay, and
report to Col. Covington, who would furnish us
with recruiting instructions. The next day,
just as we were about starting, we received an ■
other order, saying we must wait the arrival of
the steam-boat, and ascend the river in her, to
sit on a court-martial, for the trial of Capt.
Holmes, which was to convene on the 1st inst.
Arrived just in time, and Capt. H. had received
orders to repair immediately to the City of
Washington, and the court was dissolved, on
the day of its .commencement—since which,
I have remained here, with five or six others,
waiting the arrival of Major Arbuckle, whose
presence is necessary, before we can open our
rendezvous. By the 1st of May, I expect to
be at Libertyville, Amite county, oo the Amite
river, the place which has been selected for me
to recruit at, with which I am well pleased.
On thursday last was ths day appointed, by
Gen. Wilkinson, lor taking possession ot Mo
bile; and from the number of troops ordered
from New Orleans to that coast, says Col. Rus
sell, in a letter just received, Pensacola will be
occupied, by American troops, in a short time.
It was on the day I left New Orleans that I
received the letter of my dear mother. My last
letter, to you, is, in part, a reply to it. I can
safely say that nothing would give me greater
pleasure than to be enabled to make a visit to
Georgia, to whieh purpose I have made several
applications, and have only received promises.
1 have also asked leave to resign, which was
also denied. These applications were not made
because I was dissatisfied, but from a wish to re
turn to my friends. Having got into this good
country, I am better pleassd than I hare been
since I joined the army. As soon as I have
done recruiting, I shall be necessarily compell
ed to go to Washington City, to make a settle
ment at the war department, which 1 expect to
be this winter, or in the spring, at which time
I will be sure fco call, and see you all.
Please write to me on receipt of this, and di
rect your letter to Washington, M. T., from
which place it will be forwarded to me, by a
friend. Sincerely, yours,
Tilman Turner.
P. S.—You will excuse haste, as I waited the
arrival of the mall, expecting to get a letter
from you, and had but a few momenta to write
the above, before it closed. I will write you
again, from Libertyville. „ T. T.”
The following letter, dated May 29th, is
from Francis Hardaway, a relation, 1 suppose,
of the first husband of Mary Turner, the mother
of Mrs. Frances Gatewood, late of Putnam
county;
Dear William :
I have, for the first time, taken my pen in
hand to inform you that 1 and family are well,
at present, and hope these lines may find you,
and yours, enjoying the same heavenly bless
ing. I have also to inform you that my brother,
Grisf Hardaway, and your cousio, Turner Man-
ley, and Jesse Goodwyn, and their families,
from Virginia, left my house, about the last
day of March, intending to go to the frontiers
of this state. I have heard that your cousin
Turner was in Henry—the other two I have
heard nothing of, definitely. I was informed
though, that brother was at Gen. Mitchell’s. If
he is, I thought you might probably know, and
make it convenient to see him, or contrive this
to him, so as he may hear from me.
In my route over the purchase, I was absent,
from home, eight days. I was within nine
miles of Flint river. I promised, at the start,
to.keep with Virden, to his, a corner lot in the
3th district. Mine is in the 6th district, Mon
roe county, no. 199. It is on Rum Creek, as the
? entleman informed us who went with us to it.
ou will be so good as to send me a rough
plat, naming the creek, and all other streams,
that run through my tract.
I will be along, sometime in August, to get
the plat and grant, and put up some cabins, so
as 1 can move this fall, and will pay you wbat
you charge. Direct your letter, enclosing the
plat, to me, at Warrenton. You will please
inform me whether you have heard anything
of the boys, mentioned above. 1 have nothing
more to relate, at present, only that we have
fine growing weather with us—thanks be to
God for it. Yours, with respect,
Francis Hardaway.
May 29th.”
The loregoing letter is dated May 29th, but
the year of its date is not put down. I find it
among papers of the year 1813, and therefore
assign it its present locality, though it may
possibly be misplaced. It is presented here, on
account of its being a link in the family re-*
cord. ,
The spelling of tho above letter, before being
corrected by the printer, was bad, though the
penmanship is good enough. I will give one
instance of the spelling: The writer of the
letter, in attempting to write “General Mitch*
ell,” wrote “ Janerol Mitchell,” from which I
conclude that the Hardaways were Irish. Rob
ert A. Hardaway—(whom all Oxonians will re
cognize as Bob Hardaway)—civil engineer-in-
chief. for some time, of the Mobile Girard
railroad—now a Major of Artillery in the con
federate service, and said to be an excellent,
and brave soldier—is one ot their descend
ants.
Since Sherman has passed through our coun
try, and torn up the railroads, we imagine that
we have desperate times, in the way of loco
motion, and trave). But let us refer to obsta
cles as they had to be encountered by our an-'
cestors, forty years ago, beiore there was such
a thing as a railroad in the country. The fol
lowing letter from Joseph Sturdivant, to my
father, will give an account of tho difficulties