John Floyd ( Georgia politician ) John Floyd ( October 3 , 1769 – June 24 , 1839 ) was an American politician and brigadier general in the First Brigade of Georgia Militia . He was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives , as well as the US House of Representatives . Personal life . John Floyd was born October 3 , 1769 at Hilton Head , South Carolina in the Beaufort District , the only child of Charles Floyd and Mary Fendin . He was reared at Walnut Hill , his father ' s plantation on Hilton Head . Charles Floyd , owner and planter of Walnut Hill Plantation , was born March 4 , 1747 in Northampton County , Virginia , the son of Samuel Floyd and Susanna " Susan " Dixon . His parents both died in Northampton County , Virginia , when he was six . He went to live with his Dixon relatives , but at the age of nine , an uncle sent him to sea as an indentured cabin boy . He spent fourteen years at sea , mainly on trading vessels sailing to ports in Europe , Africa and elsewhere . When this seafaring ordeal was over , he began life anew at Hilton Head , where he managed an indigo plantation . He married Mary Fendin in 1768 at St . Helena ' s Church in Beaufort District . Mary Fendin was born April 15 , 1746 in St . Helena ' s Parish , South Carolina , the daughter of John Fendin Jr . and Elizabeth Thomas . The Floyds settled at Walnut Hill Plantation on the north side of Fish Haul Creek . During the Revolutionary War in South Carolina , Charles was a member of the First Council of Safety . These men who favored independence raised a volunteer militia , the St . Helena Guards , whose hats bore a silver crescent on which their motto " Liberty or Death " was inscribed . In 1781 , Charles Floyd , along with several others , all members of another war party called the Bloody Legion , avenged the death of Revolutionary War hero , Charles Davant , by the Royal Militia . Charles Davant had married Elizabeth Fendin ( Bland ) who was sister to Mary Fendin and brother - in - law to Charles Floyd . Captain Floyd distinguished himself in forays against the British and their colonial policies . In reprisal , his home was plundered and burned by the Tories . About 1797 , not long after he had moved his family to Georgia , Charles sold Walnut Hill Plantation to a wealthy planter , William Pope Sr . John Floyd , having spent his formative years in the midst of the Revolutionary activity , must have felt an all - around excitement brought on by engagements with the British . His military experience began at age fourteen . During the last year of the American Revolutionary War , he probably served with his father in the St . Helena Volunteer Guards . When John Floyd was sixteen , he was apprenticed to a house carpenter for five years . He became so proficient at his work , he was offered an early release from the contract but he refused , preferring to work the entire period . At night he was privately tutored by a distant cousin , Bernard Elliott , in a variety of subjects including higher mathematics and French . In later years , he spoke this language fluently with guests who dined with him at Bellevue Plantation . While he was coming home from work one afternoon , John Floyd met Isabella Maria Hazzard on the road as she was coming home from school . Their relationship flourished . Her aunt , Mrs . Sarah Hazzard Waight , objected to the union , claiming that Isabella Maria could do much better . John Floyd married Isabella Maria Hazzard on December 12 , 1793 in Beaufort District , South Carolina . They had twelve children including General Charles Rinaldo Floyd , General Richard Ferdinand Floyd , Colonel Henry Hamilton Floyd . Isabella Maria ( pronounced Mariah ) Hazzard was born January 3 , 1773 in St . Marys , Camden County , Georgia , the daughter of Richard Hazzard III of Beaufort District , South Carolina and Phoebe Loftin of then British East Florida . According to some , she was born at Loftin House , just south of the St . Marys River in Nassau County , Florida . After her mother died , Isabella Maria was adopted by her father ' s cousin , Mrs . Sarah Hazzard Waight , of Beaufort , South Carolina . She was educated at Beaufort and under the tutelage of her aunt , she was groomed for society . In 1795 , Charles Floyd , with his wife , Mary , and John Floyd , with his wife , Isabella Maria , moved from South Carolina to McIntosh County , Georgia . They settled on adjoining farms near Darien , called " The Thickets " . Bellevue Plantation and Fairfield Plantation . In 1800 , the Floyds again moved , this time to Camden County , Georgia . They purchased large tracts of land located south of the Satilla River , north of the Crooked River and west of the marshes and the Cumberland River to what is now I - 95 . Here , in this area known as Floyd ' s Neck , they built two large Plantations one mile apart : " Fairfield " and " Bellevue " . John Floyd built Fairfield on Floyd ' s Creek for himself . Fairfield House was built in traditional Southern style . The house sat near a high bluff that overlooked Floyd ’ s Basin toward the west and Floyd ’ s Creek toward the east . In 1831 , John Floyd gave Fairfield Plantation to his eldest son , Charles Rinaldo Floyd . Charles Rinaldo Floyd added a two - story armory in order to display his collected weapons : Swords , lances , daggers , knives , double barrel guns , dueling and long shot rifles , carbines , pistols , dueling pistols , bows and arrows . At either end of the Fairfield House stood two tall brick chimneys with large interior mantles ; the floors of the house were of Georgia heart of pine . There was a parlor , library and a small sketching room . John Floyd built Bellevue within view of the marshes leading to Todd ' s Creek for his father , Charles . After his father died in 1820 , John moved into Bellevue , enlarging it with two upper stories made of cypress . A blueprint of Bellevue , drawn by Hazlehurst Ross Noyes , a descendant of John Floyd , showed the three - level plantation house to be a substantial dwelling . The ground floor or basement was made of tabby with walls over eight feet high and two feet thick ; contained two huge fireplaces in which immense cauldrons hung on cranes , supplying hot water to the upper floor bathrooms ; household storage areas ; a kitchen area for last minute food preparation ; the informal dining room and the curved billiard room . The first floor contained the long hall , family bedrooms , dressing room , three bathrooms , children ’ s room , large formal dining room with double fireplaces and the drawing room . The second floor contained guest rooms , fireplace and a library filled with John Floyd ’ s vast collection of books , some quite valuable . Raised open piazzas on two sides of the building contained heavy round columns supporting the roof . The piazza on the south side had a set of imposing steps leading down to the terrace and the manicured formal lawn beyond . Both plantations were noted for their landscaping and gardens . The curved billiard room at Bellevue overlooked a picturesque crescent - shaped garden , from which roses extended to a half acre . Flowering bulbs and myrtles were dotted beneath the mile - long avenue of moss - draped live oaks and cedar trees connecting the two plantations . Two hundred acres south of Bellevue were set aside as parade grounds . The land became so compressed from military drills and horse ' s hooves that nothing grew on it for over a hundred years . During the Civil War , both structures , including the outbuildings , were destroyed by intermittent incursions from raiding parties sent ashore from a blockading vessel anchored in St . Andrews Sound . Not a trace of Fairfield is to be seen . Traditionally , it is known in this family that the Floyds built Bellevue Plantation in the shape of an anchor to symbolize their fortunes provided by the sea . Today , all that remains of this once - grand antebellum structure are the tabby ruins . Floyd ' s Neck . During the nineteenth century plantation era , this vast area encompassed swamps , hammocks , pine barrens , forests thick with oaks , gum , cypress . On cleared grounds , cotton fields stretched for miles ; massive fields of potatoes were grown on Pompey ’ s Island ; corn fields and vegetable gardens were within site of both plantations . The Floyds cultivated peach , orange , lemon , lime and olive trees . Fishing in Floyd ’ s Creek yielded an abundance of drum , whiting , black fish , and mullet . Hunting for wild game provided ample food for the Floyd family . Members of the Camden Hunting Club built a clubhouse at Bear Hammock on Floyd property . On Independence Day July 4 , 1835 , after hunting for wild turkey and deer , an elegant meal was served . In honor of the day , club members toasted their sentiments . General John Floyd toasted , " The Federal Constitution – the reserved rights of the states , safeguards of the Union . We will defend them at every peril " . Graded roads , sturdy bridges over creeks , were built on Floyd ' s Neck . These roads led not only to other plantations but to Jeffersonton inland to the west and to Cabin Bluff on the Cumberland River to the east . Bellevue was 30 miles from Jeffersonton , which at that time was the Camden County seat . It took four hours on horseback from Bellevue to reach St . Marys . It took about one hour by horse - drawn conveyance from Bellevue to Cabin Bluff . Depending on the tide and the wind , it took the Floyds four to six hours to sail in their privately owned boats from the Cabin Bluff dock to St . Marys . It was two hours by steamboat . Camden County , Georgia tax returns in 1809 show the combined land holdings owned by Charles and John Floyd amounted to 5 , 825 acres . In subsequent years , they accumulated more property , becoming one of the largest land owners in Camden County . In addition to lands covering Bellevue and Fairfield , their holdings included : The Hermitage , Leeds Grove , Grants Tract , Jones Tract , Bryant and Grays Tract , Brookfield , Bear Hammock , Cabin Bluff , Shellbine , and Black Point ; property in McIntosh County . John Floyd ’ s timber business prospered and the export of cotton brought in high returns . The Floyds were among one of the wealthiest families in Camden County . On May 25 , 1808 , John and Charles Floyd had purchased Little Cumberland Island from the heirs of General ( Nathaniel ) Nathanael Greene . On August 24 , 1837 , John Floyd sold six acres on the north end of Little Cumberland to the United States Government for a lighthouse to be erected on St . Andrews Sound : " John Floyd . . . hath granted , bargained , sold unto the United States of America Six acres of Land on the Island of Little Cumberland and at the north part of the same and selected as a site for the contemplated Light House to Saint Andrews inlet as the Plat thereof " . Floyd received $ 500 . 00 from the transaction . The Floyds became extremely successful planters cultivating rice , indigo , and Sea Island cotton . They also engaged in boat - building . John Floyd , a civil engineer as well as a master builder , used his workers and his expertise to construct schooners and merchant vessels for shipping and trade . The family had over two hundred slaves ; held hunts for wild game , competitive shooting , horse and boat racing ; hosted sports club parties , balls and dinner dances at Bellevue ; they owned town houses in St . Marys . Military . On May 2 , 1804 , John Floyd was commissioned Captain of the 31st Militia in Camden County , Georgia . Two years later , on June 26 , 1806 , he was commissioned Brigadier - General , First Brigade of Georgia Militia . At the beginning of the War of 1812 , General Floyd commanded a force at Point Peter near St . Marys in Camden County . He was asked by General George Mathews , special agent during the Patriot War , to hold his militia in readiness to aid in the overthrow of the Spanish government in East Florida . Even though the U . S . government feared Britain was about to take possession of Florida , Floyd , who was critical of the invasion into Florida , sought advice of Georgia Governor David Mitchell as to the propriety of this request . In October 1812 , Floyd , along with about 120 of his volunteers , reached New Camp Hope in East Florida . The Spanish Governor of Florida worked with the Seminoles and enlisted them in fights against the rebels as well as the invaders . Floyd wanted a fast and decisive strike , countering the Indians with a devastating blow . Difficulties arose . Military supplies ran short , food was scarce , his men came down with dysentery and fever . His pessimistic militia troops resisted such an expedition , and ultimately , the attack plans never materialized . If the Patriots had succeeded , General John Floyd might have become Governor of territorial Florida . President Madison had requested acceptable names to fill the position and General Mathews recommended General John Floyd as " most acceptable " . The Creek Indians , who allied themselves with the British forces , began attacks on white settlements in eastern and central Alabama and western Georgia . Indians from the Upper Creek Towns , known as Red Sticks , who resented the encroachment onto their lands , sought aggressively to reduce influences upon their tribal unions and wished to return their society to a traditional way of life in culture and religion . In September , 1813 , in response to the threats and to quell the Red Stick rebellion , General John Floyd was ordered to command Federal troops who were assembled at Camp Hope on the Ocmulgee River . These forces constructed forts in a defensive line along the Federal Road from the Ocmulgee River to the Alabama River . A stronghold , Fort Mitchell , was erected on the west bank of the Chattahoochee River . In November 1813 , Floyd and his men waged an overwhelming offensive , the battle of Autossee . Autossee was located on the east bank of the Tallapoosa River and was one of the most populated towns of the Creek Nation . The men were to strike at daybreak , encircle the town , thereby blocking the Indians ’ escape . Scouts discovered a second town just a few yards downstream , forcing Floyd to change tactics and divide his regiments . The attacks by both sides were fierce but it was the Red Sticks who suffered the greatest casualties . In unprecedented gore , Indian men , women and children were shot , stabbed by bayonets , bombarded with volleys of fire , and , burned to death in their own houses . Both Indian villages were completely destroyed . Charles Rinaldo Floyd , who at age sixteen , accompanied his father at the battle of Autossee later described it : " The Indians never repair the desolation of a town ; so Autossee has been deserted ever since the battle , except by wolves and ravens ; and the skeletons of the slain are still bleaching amidst the ruins " . At Autossee , General Floyd sustained a serious wound to his knee . He recuperated over the Christmas holidays at Fort Mitchell . In early January 1814 , General Floyd , having replenished rations , firearms and artillery , marched with 1500 men via the Federal Road deep into Creek territory . About forty miles west of Fort Mitchell , they constructed Fort Hull as a supply base . He and his troops advanced to Calabee ( Chalibee ) Creek where they constructed a fortified camp , Camp Defiance . On January 27 , 1814 his troops fended off a predawn surprise attack by over 1300 Indian warriors on the banks of Calabee ( Chalibee ) Creek . If it had not been for the aid of the friendly Lower Creek Indians , who had allied themselves with the white state militias , and the quick actions of the veteran companies , General Floyd might have lost this brutal battle . His campaigns to subdue the hostile Upper Creek and Choctaw Indians were so effective , he was promoted to the rank of Major - General . At the close of the war ( 1814 - 1815 ) , he was sent to defend Savannah against the presumed attack by the British . Because coastal Georgia plantations were defenseless against invaders he requested that his family temporarily settle in Savannah . Before it was extended , a portion of Abercorn Street in Savannah was named Floyd Street in recognition of General Floyd . Legacy and political background . General John Floyd was one of three men appointed to survey the Georgia - Florida line . He was chairman of the committee who reported the survey results to the Executive Committee in Washington , D . C . He was one of the presidential electors for US President Andrew Jackson , who was elected to office in 1829 and served for eight years . In March 1829 while still a United States Congressman , he attended the inauguration of President Andrew Jackson in Washington , D . C . He became a founder and a leader of the States Rights Party of Georgia . For several years he served as a Justice of Inferior Court of Camden County . From 1820 to 1826 , he was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives . From March 4 , 1827 to March 3 , 1829 , he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives . He was honored when Floyd County , Georgia was given his name . Deaths and burials . Floyd Family Cemetery . The Floyd Family Cemetery is located about a quarter of a mile away from the former Fairfield Plantation site on Floyd ’ s Neck in Camden County , Georgia . It sits on high ground not far from a bend in Floyd ' s Creek , noted on maps as Fairfield Point . Enclosed by a low rectangular brick wall , secured by a small wrought iron entry gate , nine visible grave stones and over fifteen unmarked graves lie in seclusion under a thick canopy of moss - draped trees . Brigadier - General John Floyd died June 24 , 1839 at Bellevue Plantation . His parents predeceased him . All three are buried at the Floyd Family Cemetery and all three of their gravestones are clearly marked . His wife , Isabella Maria Hazzard Floyd , died at Bellevue Plantation August 18 , 1859 , she is buried at the Floyd Family Cemetery – her grave is unmarked . Charles Rinaldo Floyd Monument . The Charles Rinaldo Floyd Monument stands alone at the former Fairfield Plantation site . Upon his prior request , his body was wrapped in an American Flag and he was then buried beside a pine tree at Fairfield Plantation . The marble obelisk marking his grave was erected by soldiers who served under him , in honor of his valiant and patriotic service . The General ' s will . General John Floyd wrote his will in 1833 , six years prior to his death . He bequeathed his lands , including Bellevue Plantation , a few slaves , out buildings , tenements , appurtenances , all physical property , including the townhouses owned in St . Marys , cash and bonds , to his wife , Isabella Maria Floyd , with the proviso that nothing was to be sold during her lifetime unless it was for payment of debts , and after her death , all property would revert into the Estate . General Floyd directed bequests to his heirs , all of his living children , also with a proviso that should a difference of opinion arise , contrary to his wishes or intentions , the disagreeing parties shall call in an umpire whose final decision would be binding . ( Fairfield Plantation had long before been given to Charles Rinaldo Floyd ; Richard Ferdinand Floyd lived at The Hermitage ; Sarah Catherine Wigg Floyd and her husband , Dr . Aime DeLaroche , lived at Black Point ) . His remaining Estate was then divided ; the disposition of slaves was equally allotted and they were not to be transferred out of the family ; his war and hunting weapons were to be equally distributed among his sons . In 1839 the will of Brigadier - General John Floyd was probated in Camden County Georgia Inferior Court . Charles Rinaldo Floyd , Richard Ferdinand Floyd , and Everard Hamilton qualified as Executors .