Savannah morning news., 1886-05-22
THE SIEGE OF SAVANNAH.
The Story as Told by Capt. Wyley
Years Ago.

ears "A go.
The presentation OF an original portrait
Of Count Pulaski to the Georgia H historical
Society, brings to mind the story OF the
siege inv which he Tell, related to me by old
Capt. Alex. Wyley, of st. Simon's island,
my fathers first cousin, with whom !
spent month full of adventure and stir
ring experiences before my departure for
ART study in Europe. In his youth the
Captain was an officer in the English army,
aud although the owner Of land in the
colony Of Georgia was scarcely citizen
thereof, therefore in adherng TO the royal
cause, he was not fighting against his
countrymen. He was not a Tory, but
Loyalist, as brave and generous in and
after bAltle as he was amiaOle and reli-
able in private life. He and James Jack
son were rather competitors for distinc-
tion in war than enemies, and sought
each other in the conflict, as ancient
knights looked for the escutcheons of
famous adVersarIes. jackson proved
this when, after the cOnhscation Of
Wyley's property, he argued for aud sue
ceeded IN securing its restoration on the
ground that the virtues Of generosity
and beneyolence displayed in the
hour of triumph by his adversary
had been equal to those Of courage
and manly submission to fate under de-
feat. In this way The English officer be-
came the good citizen OF Georgia and the
successful planter of the ''yilage" planta-
ton on ST. Simon's. near to Frederick.
Here ! spent many pleasant hours and
heard many stories at men End events Of
the Revolution, and of the c0lOsy now the
state Of Georgia. One of these was this
account Of the siege Of Savannah and the
defeat OF the combined American and
French attack. The English lines, Of
which he gave me a drawing, presented
by me to the city on my return, extended
from Spring Hill, inside of or little beyond
Jones street, to the low lands near Tbun-
derbolt road. They consisted of a double
line or "fleches'' arrowhead shaped
redoubts), in double line so placed
that the fire from the second line swept
the faces OF the first When | asked why
our men did not rush through the inter-
venIug spaces and attack the lines in the
rear, be replied that the cr0ss-6re was
terrific, and that when out OF Wadding
and canister the sailors Of the Spring
Hill ti5ches used their caps as wads and
filled their cannon to the muZzle with
shot, fragments of iron and even frag-
ments of rock and brick. Besides, had
they succeeded, there were bodies of in
fantry ready to meet them with the bay
onet, drawn up in relieving distance Of
anv point.
He also stated that when the assailants
came to bury their dead and exchange
prisoners, they objected to receive the
mOrtallY wounded and utterly dismem-
bered French and Americans in exchange
for sound Englshmen. The reply was
"throw them in them" and so they were
obliged to receive dying men or bury
them before life was out Of the body.
Two or three years ago, in digging a
ditch near the corner of AbercOrn and
CASTOR streets, a number of bones were
unearthed, lying as if the bodies had been
placed in common grave. Some thought
that they we're the remains of the old
negro buryng ground, but on examining
them, l concluded they were the bones of
white men, probably those of the
slain of one side or the other, as
Capt. WILEY had told me the Americans
and French were buried where they fell,
some distance beyond the lines. The
only skull or fragment of skull l saw
was certainly Caucasian, but as occa-
sionally we find both the skull and the
jaw of the negro, very IKE low order
skulls OF other races. Ny opinion is not
worth much in deciding the case.
X. w, II,