Liberty County Historical Society

Liberty County Historical Society Liberty County Historical Society was formed by a group of Liberty County citizens who saw a need to

LIBERTY COUNTY, GEORGIAA Local History.A sneak peek at the upcoming book, The Price of Liberty: Liberty County, Georgia ...
09/04/2026

LIBERTY COUNTY, GEORGIA
A Local History.
A sneak peek at the upcoming book, The Price of Liberty: Liberty County, Georgia in the Civil War and Beyond by Roger S. Durham. A huge thanks to the author for this glimpse.

1863
On September 4th, Reverend Robert Q. Mallard wrote to his wife:
“Last night (August 31st) eight Negroes of Mr. Joseph Anderson's took the guard boat at Sunbury and succeeded in making their escape to the Yankees. I have not heard the particulars, but the fact as it stands incriminates the pickets of most culpable negligence. One of the contrabands had been employed as a cook by the pickets. The only safety for us is to remove our people into the interior, and this the enormous charge made for plantations seems almost to render it impossible."

Mrs. Jones relayed this information to her oldest son, Lieutenant Charles Jones Jr, and added some clarification. “Their leader was his (Joseph Anderson's) man James who was cooking for the picket guard at Sunbury. While the picket either slept, or was distracted, James took the picket boat packed it with family and friends, and left there Monday morning. James's daughter went into Mr. Anderson's house, packed up all Mrs Anderson's best clothes and jewelry, and took them with her.”
By Roger Durham

We HOPE that everyone has a SAFE and HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND...Your Liberty County Historical Society
09/04/2026

We HOPE that everyone has a SAFE and HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND...

Your Liberty County Historical Society

“Atlanta is Ours, and Fairly Won”William T. Sherman“The national thanks are tendered by the President to Major General W...
09/03/2026

“Atlanta is Ours, and Fairly Won”
William T. Sherman

“The national thanks are tendered by the President to Major General William T. Sherman and the gallant officers and soldiers of his command before Atlanta for the distinguished ability, courage, and perseverance displayed in the campaign in Georgia, which, under divine favor, has resulted in the capture of the city of Atlanta. The marches, battles, and siege are other military operations that have signified this campaign must render it famous in the annals of war and have entitled those who have participated therein to the applause and thanks of the nation.”
Abraham Lincoln
September 3, 1864

The campaign for Atlanta from May to September 1864 covered more than 100 miles as the crow flies, and far more as the flanking and fighting soldiers marched. An Illinois Sergeant tallied the distance covered at no less than 400 miles, 128 days of marching and fighting in the Georgia heat, 10 major battles, and countless smaller fights and skirmishes.

Official tabulations would show that over the course of the campaign, General William T. Sherman's Union Army fired 149,670 artillery rounds and more than 22 million r***e rounds. Roughly 173,000 per day, or an average of 120 shots fired for every minute of the struggle. Federal losses in the four-month campaign were 34,514. Notable Union losses included General James B McPherson killed, and George Stoneman captured; General Grenville Dodge, Manning Force, Walter Gresham, and “the Fighting Parson” Joseph Lightburn were wounded.

Confederate losses are difficult to ascertain because reporting was incomplete. The one meticulous scholar of the campaign estimates that southern casualties were 35,000. Among the Confederates of high rank, Leonidas Polk, W.H.T. Walker, and Rock Stevens had been killed; General Daniel Govan was captured at Jonesboro, and States Rights Gist, Alexander Stewart, Patton Anderson, W.W. Loring, James Smith, and William Bate were among the wounded.

“Atlanta had fallen, and our loss in men and stores could never be replaced, but I will not permit myself to indulge in criticism of any one on this great disaster to the Confederacy. No doubt it was our fate, but it was nonetheless bitter,” wrote Lott Young, a Kentucky “Orphan” Brigade Lieutenant.

Source:
War Like the Thunderbolt
The Battle and Burning of Atlanta
By Russell S. Bonds

IT HAPPENED TODAY,IN LIBERTY COUNTY.1861By early September 1861, the U.S. blockade of Southern ports was driving food pr...
09/03/2026

IT HAPPENED TODAY,
IN LIBERTY COUNTY.

1861
By early September 1861, the U.S. blockade of Southern ports was driving food prices up in Savannah, Georgia. Corn was priced at $1.20 per bushel in Savannah, compared to 45¢ in New York. Pork cost $27 a barrel in Savannah, while it was $15 in New York. Despite these increases, some food prices in the South stayed roughly the same as a year earlier.

Source:
Liberty County Historical Society

Local Liberty HistoryA sneak peek at the upcoming book, The Price of Liberty: Liberty County, Georgia, in the Civil War ...
09/03/2026

Local Liberty History
A sneak peek at the upcoming book, The Price of Liberty: Liberty County, Georgia, in the Civil War and Beyond, by Roger S. Durham. A huge thanks to the author for this glimpse. This book will be available soon.

Maybank Plantation, Liberty County, Georgia
On September 3, 1862, Mrs. Mary Jones wrote to her half-brother, the Reverend John Jones.

“I fear we are very defenseless. Very recently, small batteries have been placed on our sea islands; the persons of wisdom and experience think them isolated and exposed. Last week, a draft was made up upon the road and of the county, and under the care of three or four of our responsible citizens, they were taken to Saint Catherine's Island and threw up very fine entrenchments for cannon, which I presume are mounted by now by this time. This will command the entrances, ward off barges, and protect our coast trade.”
by Roger S. Durham.

It’s Georgia History, Y’allSeptember 02, 1864“Atlanta is ours, and fairly won,” were the immortal words of General Willi...
09/02/2026

It’s Georgia History, Y’all
September 02, 1864

“Atlanta is ours, and fairly won,” were the immortal words of General William Tecumseh Sherman when he captured Atlanta on this date in 1864. Sherman had taken one of the Deep South’s primary manufacturing centers and railroad hub, a massive loss for the Confederacy.

Unwilling to attack Atlanta’s strong defenses, U.S. forces swept west and south around the city. At Jonesboro, they cut the last railroad supplying Atlanta, forcing General John Bell Hood’s Confederate troops to abandon the city. Atlantans who remained were rudely awakened that morning by the apocalyptic explosions of Hood’s am******on train being blown up by Confederate soldiers. Atlanta Mayor James Calhoun surrendered the city to Sherman in a formal note, saying, “The fortune of war has placed Atlanta in your hands.” The 2nd Massachusetts Regiment reached downtown first and raised the American flag over City Hall.

President Abraham Lincoln’s re-election in November and final Confederate defeat seven months later were both virtually assured after Atlanta’s fall on September 2, 1864.

Source:
Georgia Historical Society

IT HAPPENEDIN LIBERTY COUNTY.1862In September 1862, 11 enslaved people belonging to Joseph Anderson stole the guard boat...
09/02/2026

IT HAPPENED
IN LIBERTY COUNTY.

1862
In September 1862, 11 enslaved people belonging to Joseph Anderson stole the guard boat at Sunbury and escaped to a ship anchored off Saint Catherine's Island.

That same month, many along the coast of Liberty County were ill with malaria, and Samuel Way, an elderly physician, was the only medical doctor left to tend them. Because of the Union's Anaconda Plan, the Southern Blockading Squadron's efforts to restrict trade made medicine scarce and costly.

Source:
Liberty County Historical Society Website

IT HAPPENEDIN LIBERTY COUNTY.1756In September 1756, colonial authorities warned Midway District residents of an imminent...
09/02/2026

IT HAPPENED
IN LIBERTY COUNTY.

1756
In September 1756, colonial authorities warned Midway District residents of an imminent conflict with the Creek Tribe. The tribespeople had established themselves along the Ogeechee River near white settlers. Some Native Americans were accused of horse theft and were subsequently killed by settlers.

In the Midway District, plantation owners built log fortifications at several locations, including one on the Mark Carr plantation and another around the Meeting House, to protect residents in case of attacks. However, the tribespeople eventually withdrew their hostility, took responsibility for previous tensions, and expressed their desire for peace. As a result, the forts were never used and were either dismantled or fell into decay.

Source:
Liberty County Historical Society Website

IT HAPPENED TODAY,IN LIBERTY COUNTY.In August 1774, delegates from the Colonial parishes met at Savannah, Georgia, to di...
08/30/2026

IT HAPPENED TODAY,
IN LIBERTY COUNTY.

In August 1774, delegates from the Colonial parishes met at Savannah, Georgia, to discuss sending six delegates to a General Congress of the American Colonies at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, later that year. No delegate was elected, how­ever, most likely because of influence exerted by British Royal Governor Wright and leading royalists in Georgia.

Meanwhile, the people of Saint Johns Parish (Liberty County) took the lead in Georgia’s fight for independence from England. They called a convention at the Meeting House on August 30, 1774.
Representa­tives from Saint George's (Burke County/Waynesboro) and Saint David's (Camden County) parishes joined them, and it was resolved “that if a majority of the parishes would unite with us, we would send deputies to join the General Congress and faithfully and religiously abide by and conform to such determination as should be entered into, and come from thence recommended.”

Lyman Hall of Saint Johns Parish, the 32-year-old foremost advocate of independence in Georgia, was elected as their delegate. A majority of the parishes, however, did not join in the effort, and Hall did not attend.

Source:
Liberty County Historical Society

IT HAPPENED TODAY,IN LIBERTY COUNTY.1776Following the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congre...
08/30/2026

IT HAPPENED TODAY,
IN LIBERTY COUNTY.

1776
Following the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia formed a committee to assess Georgia's defenses, recommending the construction of two forts—one at Savannah and another at Sunbury.

The Congress also decided to raise two artillery companies, each comprising 50 men, to man these forts if built.
These decisions were communicated to the Georgia Council of Safety on August 30, 1776, and received their approval.

Source:
Sunbury on the Medway: A Selective History of the Town, Inhabitants, and Fortifications
By John Sheftall

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101 N. Commerce Street
Hinesville, GA
31313

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