LIBERTY COUNTY, GA - BIOS -Button Gwinett Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: lat@wayxcable.com Bob Hurst Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/liberty.htm Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm BUTTON GWINNETT -- OR IS IT? Termed A `Mystery Man’ GWINNETT’S BURIAL PLOT IN COLONIAL CEMETERY IN SAVANNAH But A Question Remains As To Whether Or Not The Remains Are Here (EDITOR'S NOTE: As we approach July 4 and realize more strongly that we are fighting the First Terrorist War, patriotism should be a force renewed by all of us. It might help to reflect and remember those who went before in our own locale to help us better understand this idea called “freedom.”) By Robert Latimer Hurst Of course, Sunbury was still that sun-drenched resort, but it had been reduced as a location for only the wealthy inland planters. Then the hurricane of 1804 turned those vacationers against the area. Witnessing the destruction that these tropical storms can cause created a fear that turn most against the once coastal Utopia. Reflecting on its worth made one realize what this colonial settlement had contributed to the scene on the eve of the Revolution and beyond. Since 1788 Sunbury Academy, reputed as a first-rate learning institution, had continued its job of educating youth. Under the leadership of the Rev. William McWhir, the school gained outstanding reports far and wide. It was not unusual for parents to put their children on a waiting list for entrance into this academy. Another institution, the Sunbury Baptist Church, organized in 1810, held services until 1830. It, too, contributed to the growth of the area. During this period, the town boasted the Academy, a Baptist church, a post office, twenty houses, two stores and three offices with a population of 150 permanent residents. Then, in 1864, General William T. Sherman burned the Baptist Church to signal Union vessels that the area was secured. Northern occupation was not an easy pill for these independent people to swallow, but they did; some even could probably see that this village would vanish with the great changes that would take place after the Civil War. And if the War Between the States, the change of agricultural priorities for the region and the railroads linking the interior and toppling the water trade hadn't completed the task, the hurricane of 1924 certainly finished the job, destroying most of the coastal land for planting. Cotton was taking over rice as Georgia's principle crop. And, too, the railroads were making it easier for people to travel. Going to a train station, now found in practically every hamlet, and relaxing in a plush car certainly beat out the temperamental, rocking coastal boats. Sunbury finally faded into the history books. And when we read those history books, what do we find? Just names on documents? Just boring statistics in dusty history texts? Just memories smiled over when we remember field trips to Georgia historical locations as school youngsters? The men and women who make up this local history were once living breathing beings who saw some of the same sights that the reader has seen, who had thoughts similar to those reading this feature and who wondered about life, the future and all the things related to living in Southeast coastal Georgia. They, too, visited those old cemeteries and wondered about those resting beneath the sod and marked by those ancient stones. Georgia’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence were among those who wondered and who followed their dreams to fruition. We have read about Dr. Lyman Hall and George Walton, who showed themselves as men who made mistakes but who also learned from these errors so that they could lead others to liberty. The third man carried on the same tradition, but he is considered the “mystery man” of the three. Button Gwinnett, one of the three Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence, is known, first of all, for his signature because it is so rare. But beside that, it is important to know that this patriot lived in Georgia for ten years before becoming "known." And a question mark should be placed after this word "known?" Historians claim that, to this day, no authentic portrait of him has survived, no one really knows where he is buried and his controversies during his liftime contribute to his being the complete "man of mystery." Born in Gloucester, England,1735, Gwinnett came to Savannah by the age of 30 in 1765. A businessman? He failed here and, then, tried his hand as a planter, borrowing money to purchase St. Catherine's Island off the coast of Georgia from the Indian interpreter Mary Musgrove’s third husband, Thomas Bosomworth. This career did not last long when financial problems forced him to sell the plantation and most everything else he owned. The future did look too bright for Mr. Gwinnett. But like many who fail in other pursuits, Gwinnett, though a thorough failure in financial matters, worked himself into local politics, winning his first election to Georgia's colonial assembly in 1769. With the Revolutionary War over, Gwinnett found himself commander for Georgia's troops fighting in the Continental Army. Controversy arose over this election, and the mystery man resigned his military post and accepted the election to the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, where he voted for and signed the Declaration of Independence --almost, one could say, by accident. Disputes --one after the other --followed him back to Georgia as the subject of which course to follow in resisting British tyranny rose as the most important matter for patriots. Division in the approach reared as some, among them Gwinnett, favored a military invasion into British East Florida; others, like Lachlan McIntosh, urged caution. Though a disagreement at first, this argument began to widen, and soon it was quite clear that Gwinnett and McIntosh really disliked one another. By 1777, they faced a duel. Both wounded in this clash of personalities and ideologies backed away, with their seconds reporting they "behaved like gentlemen and men of honor." However, McIntosh recovered; Gwinnett, at age 42, died of his wounds three days later. A monument in Savannah's Colonial Park Cemetery marks the site of his grave, but authorities confess that really the exact location is not known because his tombstone was lost. The mystery continues. All three -Dr. Hall, Walton, Gwinnett --passed over this ground in coastal Georgia, leaving behind their stories and legacies. But above all, they exampled that patriot spirit that led these colonies to freedom. They were human, with faults, desires, purposes and moments of greatness. Their mistakes costs them, but their chauvinistic fervor stood for placing the colonies on a firmer ground as they continued striving for liberty. This record they signed --the Declaration of Independence, along with many of our other historic papers, are under great scrutiny today from those who question if we should be governed by these outlines for democracy. We can think of two things: (1) These papers have passed the test of time. They have guided us through many, many situations that lesser guides could not have accomplished. And (2) they have urged us to put our faith in something higher than ourselves. Call it hope, faith, inspiration --any name you please --but it has passed the test of time. Pray God it continues. Adopted on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was not signed, however, until after it had been inscribed in August. Remember, no typewriter or word processor but someone with a steady hand and excellent penmanship was need to complete this task. Though the multitudes of Georgians seemed joyous over the declaration for freedom, over two thousand moved away from the colony. And on September 9, 1776, the Continental Congress officially adopted the name “United States of America” to replace “United Colonies of America,” records Historian Bernice McCullar. Georgians can be proud that three men stood up in the face of apathy and placed their signatures on a parchment --an act that could have cost them their lives --so that we can live today in that “Nation, under God....”