The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-01-11

by HUGH WILS
CRADLE OF SECESSION.
One of the Most Remarkable Districts
T. I'm Americas within n Radius oil
Thirty Miles Around Augusta, Ga.'
Have Been Born and Bred Some
/. OF the Strongest Statesman OF the
y south Homes of Calhoun. Orr,
S Stephens, Robert TOombs, Howell
~ Cobb, Preston Brooks, aud Several
other NOtables:
ByH.C. Middleton.
One of the most remarkable small
areas OF country in the Union in re-
spect of the large number OF dlstln-
ouished men that has been produced,
Everything considered, Is that COM
nrised in a circle of about thirty miles
radius Lying about the city OF Auvus-
ia, Ga. The centre OF the disCrict
would probably lie few miles ABOVE :;
Augusta, up the Savannah vailey.'
! It is not a Congressional district, em,
bracing counties in both Georgia ana
South. Carolina. 1t lies among. q
splendid, /, assenblage OF productive
hills. that rise with their granite
foundations. irony-red clay subsolls,
\ and we'll watered, grassy sides, ABOVE
the monotonous sandy stretches going
out from Augusta 10 the sea: Inc
district In point does not inciude the
>city of Augusta property, but Is aimost
wholly, rural; the largest town IN IL
to-day has only 10000 inhabitants,
!: and the next largest 1000. Formerly
the nrban population was much less;
Az We consider 1t, 1t Is composed
almost wholly of plantations. There
are thickly popu ated districts, probaa,,
Sbly studded with towns, ,Sof as small
general area in the Union that nave
! mothered as many tall sons, but 1t is
doubtful whether any other stretch OF
(: as rural territory can in such respect
!. be compared with this. Here nave
s s arisen men who have had an earth
Z ouake tread. It is not intended TO
( debate whether these men were right
or wrong, or whether many OF them
deserve the permanent title OF great,
ness ;but that upon this little real
stage OF life have been enacted scenes
Of great national interest, by. strong
4 man-scenes whose areas of interest
have stretched beyond the seas, and
whose afterclaps have shaken ltnougn
they have sometimes shoeked) eds
{ country, cannot be galnsaid. 7,
NAMES OF FAMOUS MEN.
q In this district were born, reared,
and here@labored the following men
John c.. Calhoun, who twice became
n Vice President, twice Secretary OF
War. once Secretary of State, and for
: 8 long time Senator: widely regard.
ed as the most robust character tnat
4 has ever risen up from the Soutn
William Harris Crawford, who came
3 nearly being President In 1910, was
once Secretary of State, once minister
4 to France, and for q long time Sena'
tor. Alexander n. Stephens, Vice
President of the, Confederacy, long
!; time q member of Congress and a man
y Of singular ability. Robert Toombs,
4 tlIe HThunderer,n who was the leader
of the Southern party with Jefferson
: Davis during the period just preced
Z ING the war, anG who, following the
i;eIeyation of Stephens to the second
station In the Confederacy, became
/ the Confederate Secretary Of State.
h Howell Cobb, who was Speaker o.
4 Congress in 1919, at. the age OF "a
z Secretary Of the Treasury and Presi
{ dent of the Confederate Constitutional
\ Congress George Washington Craw
ford Secretary of State under Presi
8 dent Tyler; Armistead Burt, who
j served as Speaker 10 ls4S, atIer the
: retirement of Winthrop Prestot
! Brooks; who won an unsavory nation
al reputation from his Gaming OF Char
les Sumner; Herschel ". Johnson
1 who was the Vice Presidential candi
date of the Douglas ticket in 1850, ant
X Henry Grady, the oratorical saint 0
s the South. II is the district to-day o
Tom Watson and Ben Tillman, who
{ whatever else be said of them, were
notwithstanding, the two most dra
Il matte and striking figures in tn
southern political field during tn
national campaivn Of 1895. Watson
and Tillman of the present day ar
neighbors, one living twenty -eigh
& miles in westerly and the othe
=. s..tygeuty-three miles in northerly a.
rection from Augusta. The home @
Watson is within twenty miles of tn
old home of Alexander Stephens
The home of Toombs ia only twent
y miles from the homes Of Stephens an
w. Fl. Crawford and Wa
on were born ip- the ss11fSe County
loaeh Later Crawford lived higher Vi
he valley and opposite and almost il
sipht of Calhoun. Calhoun and CraW
a ford lwho could almost see each 9th
q er,s back yard across the riYdr either
riya for the. PresjGet, might have
,,sana6ed the goal. The birthplace of
Calhoun is only forty miles from the
home of Toombs. fifty from those of
Stephens and Watson, and forty from
that Of Tillman, along the arc of q
circle. Burt was born In Tillman's
County, and Preston Brooks lived
within q few miles of Tillman's home.
THE GREATEST NAME WAS OMITTED.
Note by the Press and Banner:
The author of this interesting article,
either by design or accident, failed
to mention the name of James L. Orr,
who lowered long ways above some
of the names which he mentioned
above. James L. Orr was one Of the
ablest as we'll as one of the most
popular men of his day. His honesty
InI hty 10