Cantonment Oglethorpe

By the summer of 1826, construction advanced on Cantonment Oglethorpe, Georgia, soon after the arrival of two regiments of US Federal soldiers in the spring aboard the brig Heroine. The Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savannah began asking for military presence after all US soldiers had been removed from the city in early 1824. The new soldiers received training in artillery at Fortress Monroe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before they occupied a portion of 28-acres of dense forest almost a mile outside of what was then the city limits. Of the original area, about 8 acres are now the southwest quadrant of Forsyth Park. Cantonment Oglethorpe was replaced by Oglethorpe Barracks (1833-1879), which was in the City of Savannah on Liberty Street. The change in location was to stop the deaths of soldiers and their staff by disease during the warmer months, June through October.

Over 100 deaths from bilious malignant fever (1826-1828)

The newspaper Savannah Republican, on February 28, 1829, republished a Philadelphia Evening Post article from residents of Savannah warning of the unhealthy conditions in Savannah causing the rise of a 'bilious malignant fever', (likely malaria), that had befallen the recently posted soldiers. According to the article, approximately one regiment had died from the summer 1826 through the end of 1827. A regiment to replace the dead arrived in April 1828 and by the end of 1828 an additional 51-soldiers, 5-women, and 16-children died from the bilious malignant fever. These deaths are not included within the Index to Register of Deaths in Savannah, GA. The location of the remains of the women and children, and over 100 soldiers are not yet known.

Richard Wayne, MD., (1804-1858) a native of nearby Screven County, GA, received his military commission and served as surgeon at Cantonment Oglethorpe after his training at Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Wayne also served the City of Savannah as Alderman (1828, 1842, 1843), Mayor (1844-1845, 1848-1853, 1857-1858), and represented "Chatham County in two sessions of the lower house of the Legislature of Georgia". Dr. Wayne experienced good health until 1840 when he was afflicted by "bilious fever accompanied by hemorrhages from the stomach" after tending to city patients and those afflicted in the rice fields. While Mayor, Laurel Grove Cemetery was established, which is the place of his burial (Lot 556).

Budget & Design

An initial budget of $14,452.51 for Cantonment Oglethorpe was included in a letter, January 1827, by the Department of War for the Congressional Military Committee. The budget itemized most of the buildings and picket fencing that appear in later plans including a two-story hospital. The washwomen’s quarters, magazine, ordinance store house, sutler store, wells, and privies are not included in the budget, but they are in the 1829 site plan. A portion of the dimensional lumber necessary for the buildings and perimeter picket fence were requested in a notice published in the Savannah Georgian, October 10, 1826, with the request for delivery of: “ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY TWO THOUSAND FEET OF PINE at the U.S. Cantonment (near Savannah) in pieces of TWENTY EIGHT FEET in length, 8 inches thick and not less that 12 inches in width". In addition to timber, Lieutenant John B. Scott also advertised for large quantities of firewood and fresh beef.

The National Archives Catalog has three site plans of Cantonment Oglethorpe. The site plan shows that the building elevations are designed in the regional low-country style. Dimensions of the buildings and perimeter picket fence are included in another plan dated March 31, 1829. On the reverse of the third plan, rooms within buildings are shown by name. This version appears to be the initial design due to the notation that the perimeter fencing is not complete and that buildings are missing that appear in March 31, 1829.

On the site plan dated March 31, 1829, the picket fence encloses the cantonment at right angles. The northern span of picket fence is a continuous 450-feet, the west picket fence is 602-feet with a gate located near a building housing the quarter master and commissary stores, the east picket fence extends south 480-feet with the main gate at the approximate midpoint, the barn and stable building is located in the southeast corner outside the picket fenced area where the south picket fence then extends west 100-feet with a gate in the approximate middle, then pivots south 122-feet where then the south picket fence continues again for 350-feet to the west.

Savannah's unique grid of streets and squares, known as the Oglethorpe Plan, dominates Savannah's Historic Landmark District. The streets are at right angles with true north approximately 30-degrees to the west of what Savannahians call north. The north arrow presented in the cantonment plans at the National Archives has the familiar shift from the right angle of buildings and streets seen on every Savannah map. This would suggest that the east side of Cantonment Oglethorpe is aligned with a street or road. The nearest contemporary road following this design is White Bluff Road. The other contemporary road close by, Ogeechee Road, is not at a right angle relative to the city streets.

Location of Cantonment Oglethorpe

On April 3, 1827 the United States of America officially purchased the northern half of Farm Lot 1, Holland Tything, Percival Ward (28 acres, 1.5 rods, 7 perches) for $800 (deed 2O-187, filed in Superior Court, Chatham County, GA). The closest modern references of boundaries of these 28-acres +/- are: Montgomery Street, West; Gwinnett Street, North; the central promenade of Forsyth Park, (then White Bluff Road), East; and Park Avenue, South. Savannah's Mayor and Aldermen encouraged the location in March 1826 due to its proximity being on the Greater Ogeechee Road that headed southwest of the city. At the time, Ogeechee Road cut through a small portion of the northwest corner of the 28-acres.

The acreage was purchased from the estate of Matthew McAllister (Deed 2I-426). In September 1789, McAllister was appointed Attorney General of the Georgia District by George Washington. McAllister served as Mayor of Savannah when the City Exchange building was erected in 1799, which was demolished to build Savannah's City Hall completed in 1905.

Charles Seton Henry Hardee (1830-1927) in his book of Reminiscences and Recollections of Old Savannah indicates the location of the Old Cantonment was located at Park Avenue and Whitaker. He attended a May festival at the location at age of 10. Hardee was the Treasurer for the City of Savannah for over 40-years, and he was noted for fighting corruption.

Joseph Frederick Waring's book, Cerveau's Savannah, accounts contemporary life in Savannah during the time of Cerveau's 1837 painting depicting the city view from atop the City Exchange. Although the cantonment is not depicted in the painting, Waring sites its location as being south of Gwinnett and west of Whitaker Street and that a city dump was located close by. Waring also revealed that the amusement of an air balloon ascending took place at the cantonment's parade grounds. Admission was required on March 5, 1836 to watch for an hour the air balloon aloft under the direction of by Monsieur Frigent as he was accompanied by a gentleman of Savannah in the car beneath the balloon.

Second Regiment of Artillery

The soldiers at Cantonment Oglethorpe were part of the Second Regiment of Artillery under the command of Brevet Colonel McRae. The Second Regiment of Artillery served within the Eastern Department under the command of Brevet Major General Edmund P. Gaines. Captains Baden and Lyon oversaw Companies I & E of the Second Regiment located at Cantonment Oglethorpe (1828). The other branches of this Second Regiment of Artillery were stationed in Charleston, South Carolina (2), Augusta, Georgia, and St. Augustine, Florida.

Forsyth Park evolution

The United States of America surrendered the site of Old Oglethorpe Barracks by Joint Resolution to City Council of Savannah on January 20, 1853 (3L-108).