The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-09

One hundred and twenty-three years
have flown since that fateful Saturday,
October Q, 1879, when nearly ten thous-
and men contended in battle on the
plains around Savannah. The area
over which they fought may be en-
braced within Jones street on the
south, Perry street on the north,
Montgomery street on the east, and
West Boundary street on the west. 1t
was within this area that the Spring
Hill and Ebenezer redoubts and sup
porting batteries We're situated,
against which Count dEstaing led
his army of Frenchmen and Gen. Lin
coin lead his of Americans against the
British.
There were 450 houses, mostly wood,
within the limits of the town, which
were the river on the north, Oglethorpe
avenue on the south, Jefferson street
on the west, and Lincoln street on the
east. The estimated number of inhabi-
tants was $50. many of it's male citi-
zens being absent in the service of the
American armies. Outside of these
limits, and towards the British forth
fications, there were a few scattering
houses and farms and many pines and
other forest trees. Beyond the fortifi-
cations were open woods, flanked by
cypress swamps on either side.
Among the houses within the town
limits which still stand are the brick
house. No. 10 Oglethorpe avenue, east,
then the property of Gen. Lachlan Nc
Intosh, and in which the first Legisla-
ture of the state of Georgia assembled.
This house is now the residence of Mr..
John D. Robinson; the two-story
wooden house., No. "a Broughton
street, east, then the headquarters of
Gen. A. Provost, the British comman-
John Screven, at the southeast corner
of Congress and Abercorn; the resi-
dence No. 120 Oglethorpe avenue, west,
row occupied by Mr.. A. K. Wilson,
and the residence of Mr.. Alfred Kent,
No. So West Broad street, which bears
the mark of a cannon shot fired dur
ing the siege. This house formerly
stood on the site of Trinity Methodist
Church.
The night before the 9th of October
saw no sleep for the besieged ard be-
siegers Gen. Provost knew that an at
tack in force would be made on his
lines at daybreak, and from a deserter,
James Curry, Sergeant Major of the
Charleston Grenadiers, he had lnforma-
ton that the assault would be on the
southwest angle of the towns defences,
the guns of which swept the
plateau to the south and southwest,
and also covered the road to Augusta
This road from the foot of the hill,
near the present Central Railway de-
pot to beyond Musgrove creek canal,
WAS a narrow causeway, through the
swamp lands, now known as the
= Springfield and Vale Royal plantations.
The construction of the Central Rail-
way, and the changes made thereby;
the laying off and grading of streets
and roadways, cutting down the earth
atone place, and the filling up of an
other for other purposes, have greatly
changed the configuration of the land
where the Spring Hill and Ebenezer
redoubts stood, but as near as can
now be arrived at. they were near the
intersection of Liberty and West Broad
streets. The selection by Count d'Es-
taing of the strongest point of the enc
nly's defenses for his attack is only to
be accounted for by the supposition
that he expected to find, the British
unprepared for the attack there.
The bombardment had been mainly
directed against the southeastern and