The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-16

hero 1t is the best act in the whole
drama, although 1t is filled with pathos
1t is the day when his heroiSm and de-
votion eliminated in his death. On the
9th day OF October, 1878, the combined
forces of Americans and French, un-
der Lincoln and Count D'Estaing, made
their bloody assault upon the British
lines at Savannah at the Springhill Re-
doubt.
The Springhill Redoubt was neat
where the Central Railroad passenger
station is now. only on the opposite
side of West Broad street, and some
few yards to the east of the present line
of the street. 1t was a very strong po-
sition, and surprise has often been ex-
pressed that the American and French
generals should have selected it as the
point of attack. The truth is that they
had been led to believe that it was
comparatively unguarded. The infor-
nation that they had indicated that the
British forces were massed on the
Southern side of the town, and they ex-
pected to find only few at the Spring
hill Redoubt.
Bloody Battle.
Unfortunately Gen. Provost, the
British officer in command in Savan-
nah, had received information during
the night that the attacking forces
were swinging around to the west side,
and he had transferred almost his en-
tire force into the Springhill Redoubt.
It was a bloody assault. A thousand
men fell within an hour. 1t attracted
attention, not only in this country, but
in England. Every reader of Barnaby
Ridge must remember young Willett
and his father when the young man
came home from the wars with an
empty sleeve, and In giving his account
stated that he lost the arm at the siege
of 1.-THE Salwanners. The loss of the
British, all told, was not 100 killed and
wounded, while that of the French and
Americans was over a thousand, in
Guiding Count D'Estaing, himself, who
was wounded, and Count Pulaski and
Sergt Jasper, killed.
Jasper's death was characteris-
tic. The flag of the assaulting
column of Americans was first in
the hands of Lieut.. Bushe. He fell dead
In the midst of the attack. Lieut. Hume
then took the colors and moved on
when he was almost instantly killed.
Lieut.. Gray. third officer then seized
them and rushed towards the parapet
Of the Springhill Redoubt, when he
was seriously wounded and fell. Then
Jasper seized the colors, and rushing
straight at the enemy's works climbed
to the top, and while actually engaged
in planting the colors upon the para
pet, received a mortal wound, falling
backward into the trench. He was car
ried to the rear In a dying condition
and remarked as he expired II have
got my furlough."
Jasper Monument Planned.
On November 9Th, 1878, p. w. Mel
drim, James J. MCGOWAN, John Elan
merry, John Mcmahon, John r. Dillon,
John 7. Roman, John Foley, Luke Car
son, Charles Collins, Daniel j. Foley,
and James Hunter, met In Savannah
and appointed a committee to arrange
for permanent organization looking
to the erection of a monument to Jas
per- This was the beginning of the
magnificent tribute to him which now
stands in Madison Square. In Fe5fu-
airy, 1888, John Flannery. P. w. Mel
drin, John II. Dillon. John T. Roman,
j. j. MCGOWAN, J. Fl. Estill, George
A. Mercer, N. o. Tilton, Luke Carson.
John Screven and Jordon F. Brooks,
eleven members of the thirteen COM
posing the Jasper Monument Associa-
ton Of Savannah, met and made their
final report. The two absent members
were jeremiah Cronin and j. X. Clarke,
both Of whom were absent from the
city.
The splendid statue IN bronze. the
work Of Alexander Doyle. the sculptor,
which now adorns the city. attests the
faithfuiness Of the association and the