Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-05-24

had advanced upon Camden, had gone to
work and put the post in a good state of de-
fence. On receiving this information, Lee
dispatched messenger to General Greene
and continued his march toward Augusta
Captain O'Neale, with detachment of cav
airy, was sent forward to collect provisions
for the army and gain intelligence respecting
the position and movements of the enemy.
On the third day after leaving Fort Gran
by, Lee arrived in the vicinity Of Augusta
Captain O'Neale, whilst securing the country
in search of provisions, learned that the an
nual present which the British government
had, for some years, been granting the In
dians, had arrived and was deposited at a Fort
called by the Americans, Galphin, but by the
British, Dreadnought.
This fort was on Silver Bluff, in Barnwell
county, twelve miles below Augusta. This
Bluff is, in many respects, worthy Of being
set down in the catalogue of the natural Gu.
riosities of North America. Its banks rise
nearly perpendicular to considerable heighth
above the level of the Savannah, which
sweeps along the western side of its base. AS
the precipitous sides rise, various strata of
earth are presented to view. In these strata
are embedded shells and sulphureous nodules,
which slightly resemble gold, and are seen scat
tered over the surface. These yellow nodules
attracted the attention of the early visitors of
the spot, and were the innocent occasion of
producing, in hunters and Indian traders, a
thirst for gold.
| Silver Bluff, at the time of the Revolution
ary war, was owned by George Galphin. He
was Assistant Superintendent of Indian Af-
fairs and staunch Whig. With all his soul,
he espoused the cause of the colonies. On
Silver Bluff was constructed a stockade for
the purpose of afording protection to a store
house, which the British government had
built for the reception of Indian supplies. To
this point the Indians, from the surrounding
country, to a great distance, brought their
peltry and received, in exchange, firearms,
ammunition, blankets, rum and trinkets.
The store house in which these articles of In
dian traffic were stored away, was the dwell
ling of George Galphin.
The amount of business done at Fort Gal
phin must have been very extensive; for, two
years prior to the breaking out Of the Revo-
lutionary war, the Creek and Cherokee In
dians owed the Assistant Agent no less than
forty.nine thousand dollars. To liquidate
this debt, the Indians ceded to the British
government large tract of country, now EN-.
bracing the whole of the counties of Elbert,
Lincoln and Wilkes, and parts of Franklin,
Green and Oglethorpe, of the State of Geor-
gia. The British government ordered the
land to be sold and Galphin to be paid out of
the proceeds. The war came on, the land
was not sold, and Galphin was not paid. On
the End of December, 1880, George Galphin
died. In January of the same year, the lands,
ceded by the Indians, were appropriated by
the Legislature Of Georgia, and any profits
arising from their sale, or otherwise, applied to
carrying on the war. A reservation, howev-
or, was made for the purpose of satisfying the
claims of Indian traders who had taken the
side of the colonies against the British gov
ernment.
The heirs of George Galphin applied to the
legislature of Georgia, at various times, for
their share of this reservation, but nothing
was received, until in the year 1S48, when, on
the petition of Milledge Galphin, presented
to the Congress of the United States in 1S47,
the original sum, principal and interest,
amounting to $234,S71, was paid out of the
National Treasury. AS George Galphin is
constantly represented as having been an hon
est man-fair and upright in all his deal
ings, the sum of bis credits gives US fair
idea of the amount of traffic which was car.
ried on at his house. The amount of goods
deposited, annually, at Fort Galphin, must
have been very considerable.
Information that fresh deposit had been
recently made, induced Colonel Lee to turn
aside from Augusta, and first direct his atten-
ton to Fort Galphin. Colonel Hardin had
laid siege to Fort Galphin, after the surrender
of Fort Balfour. For part of the time,
Colonel Clarke, of Georgia, had been with
him, but their united forces, without cannon,
made but little progress. Colonel Clarke
seeing this, went to Augusta. The garrison
of Fort Galphin consisted Of two companies
of infantry, together with multitude of to-
ries and loyalists, who had fled thither from
both sides of the Savannah. Lees troops
we're wearied-many of them broke down
by the rapid marching and hard fighting of
the last month. So soon as the determine.
ton was formed to attack Fort Galphin, all
the broken down men and horses were left
behind, under charge of Major Eaton, and,
with the most vigorous men and horses, Lee
advanced in the direction of the fort.
On the morning of the 21st of May, the
vicinity of the fort was reached. The wealth
er was hot and sultry. The men were worn
out and suffering intensely of thirst In a
pine barren, near the fort, the men were
halted and preparation made for the assault.
The mounted militia in Lees corps were dis
mounted and ordered to advance for the pur-
pose of drawing the garrison from the fort.
Fortunately for the Americans, but unfortu'
nately for the enemy, the moment the advan-
cling militia were seen to be approaching the
fort, the larger number of the garrison flew to
arms and rushed out to meet them. Captain
Rudolph, who had been so placed that he
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