The years immediately following the American Revolution were difficult ones for the southern states. Immediately to the south was Florida, which had been reacquired by Spain in the Treaty of Paris of 1783 ending the war. Tensions immediately broke out between Spain and the newly formed United States, and raiding parties of mixed Spanish, hostile Indians, and former Tories hit the southern states. The bulwark of resistance to these raids was the ragtag Georgia militia stationed in southern and central Georgia under the command of Col. James Armstrong. In these present days of near unlimited military budgets, the efforts of Col. Armstrong to defend the southern border of the United States from a hostile foreign power with little support from the Georgia government and none from the U.S. government seem remarkable. He literally had to both beg and borrow in order to maintain his fighting force, while at the same time dealing with low morale, disease which racked his forces, and a lack of officer support staff. This is the same James Armstrong from Pennsylvania who was the hero of the siege of Augusta during the Revolutionary War that I have profiled previously. I believe that he was later appointed General of the Georgia militia but I haven't yet been able to confirm this. He is truly one of the unsung heroes of our early history. The travails of Col. Armstrong are well documented in a remarkable series of letters in the Archives of the State of Georgia. I have not been able to find what response he got to these letters, if any. I have not included all the letters and the following are excerpts of the most historically interesting parts; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sullivan's Station May 20, 1794 His Excellency the Governor Sir, I had the honor of addressing a few lines to you on the 1st, Inst. by Mr. Cobbs, since I had a letter from the Agent for Indian Affairs informing me that I had a right to expect a hostile visit & I have taken the necessary precaution for the defense of the frontier from the Altamaha to the Canouche. My men are healthy & their horses in good order, their time of service expires on the 1st of next month. They would (I believe) willingly engage again provided they had the assurances of being paid for the time they have served.They have the greatest confidences in your Excellency in that respect as well as myself whose little property must be ruined if a failure in payment should take place. General Glascock, Mr. Walker, and Mr. Erving of Savannah have been generous in affording me credit for necessaries for the men which could not be done without. I would humbly suggest to your Excellency that if a number of my men were ordered in form that it would reconcile them to serve for a longer period. The expectation of seeing you in this district has prevented me from writing before this. I most sincerely wish you good health and happiness. I am with great respect your honorable servant, J. Armstrong -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sullivan's Station Aug. 7th, 1794 The Honorable Major General Jackson Sir, I received your letter dated July 24th by Mr. Hughs & have to observe in answer that my orders from the Governor is (at present) positive. The delay of not executing them has been occasioned by the want of tools, forage, etc. which I hope has given time for his Excellency's answer to your letter. I am now ready to depart from St. Saville but shall remain in the same State until I hear from his Excellency, or the result of your communication with him, which will have a sufficient time to be handed to you before the return of the bearer. I have confidential information that the Spaniards are arming & equipping a body of Indians for some expedition at St. Augustine & have an agent in this neighborhood who has actually purchased one thousand head of cattle with an intention to drive them to St. Augustine. Immediately which information I have transmitted to his Excellency the Governor. My inclination is to prevent their going over, I will sincerely thank you for your advice & opinion on this occasion as it will arrive before I can hear from Augusta. Should anything remarkable happen in this Quarter you shall hear the earliest information. I am with due respect your honorable servant, J. Armstrong ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Saville Aug. 25, 1794 His Excellency Governor Matthews by Mr. Lapsley Augusta-express Sir, I had the honor of addressing you (in answer to your letter of the 9th of July) on the twentieth of last month, which I conclude has never reached you as the messenger has never been heard of since his departure from Sullivan's Station, fortunately my letter contained nothing of more importance than I was prevented from executing your Excellency's orders owing to the want of supplies which difficulty is now nearly removed in every instance, as I have certain intelligence of forty days forage & provisions having arrived at Catt head, to obviate the difficulty of not immediately occupying the posts you directed. I have kept strong scouts in the different directions you pointed out as the nature of my command would admit of. I shall immediately proceed to fortify Doctors Town & occupy the other posts. The raising infantry I believe Sir is out of the question; my troop will be a little more than complete on the return of my furlowed men which I daily expect. I have not heard from Col. Gathier since I received your letter of the 9th of July, I have by accident been informed that a Sargeant & Twenty five men have embarked from Savannah to occupy Carney's Cowpen. I shall pay every attention to them in my power, I must beg leave to inform your Excellency that the only officer I have got has been an invalid for some weeks which renders my situation very fatiguing. Providence continues me in good health also every non Commisioned Officer and Private. I informed you in my letter of the 20th also that I had certain information of the Spaniards equipping Indians at Augustine & that they had an agent on the north side of the Altamaha who had purchased one thousand head of cattle which I am determined shall not cross St. Mary's without your Excellency's permission. I do myself the pleasure to transmit an original letter from Col. Burnett together with two letters from General Jackson & a copy of my answer to him, all of which I have kept proper copies of. I send the originals in case it, should be so unfortunate that a future investigation of terretorial boundary should take place you Excellency may make what you please of them. My little plans are not as yet fit for your inspection but in my next I will send you a plan together with a copy of my Muster rolls for the Months of June and July. I have the honor to be with sincere respect your honorable servant, J. Armstrong -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Louisville March 8th, 1799 It appears from an affidavit made by a certain Jacob Wolf that, Colonel James Armstrong then Capt. James Armstrong did build and finish a Stockade Fort on the River Altamaha, of timbers nine inches square or round, twelve feet high, and one hundred twenty five feet square. We the subscibers do conceive that the expense of building the above fort must have amounted to a much greater sum than sixty five dollars. Jno. Shellman John Jacob Schley --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richmond County, Ga. Aug. 8, 1799 The Honorable James M. McHenry, Esq. Secretary of War Sir, I had the honor of receiving your circular letter dated July 13, 1779 regarding the relative rank of the field officers of the twelve additional regiments. In to answer to the questions, I have the honor to inform you, that I served in the Continental Army from 1776 until the end of the war. I transferred myself from the Pennsylvania line to the Legion commanded by Lieut. Col. Lee from whence I was disbanded in common with the rest of the Army with the rank of Capt. My commission being taken by the enemy with the baggage of our Corps prevents me from making an exact account of the particular date it was late in 1779 or early 1780.I hope sir a small reference to the records of the War Department will easily ascertain that point. I was never deranged. I never resigned, nor have I served in the Continental Army since the Revolution." I have the Honor to be sir with sincere respect your obediant servant, James Armstrong ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Armstrong Tallahassee, FL, USA