Yamacraw Village in Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
To Arms
Photographed by Don Morfe, September 22, 2013
1. To Arms Marker
Inscription.
To Arms. . The 800 stones before you have three meanings: They represent the approximate number of soldiers killed or wounded in Savannah on the foggy morning of October 9, 1779. The stones are arranged as a column, with ten soldiers across. The French and American allies formed five such columns of men to attack the fortified British. Inscribed on the stones are names and stories of people throughout the entire Revolutionary struggle from all the states, countries and cultures involved.
To your left stands a granite marker identifying the location of the Spring Hill redoubt, one of 14 British earth fortifications surrounding Savannah in 1779. It was here that the thousands in the French and other allied American columns tried to smash through the hundreds of British and loyalists defending this area.
The allied columns were meant to attack simultaneously, in overwhelming force. Due to poor communications, they arrived separately, disoriented and tired from hours of marching in the dark woods. With volunteers leading each column up the foggy slops, the soldiers attacked with fixed bayonets.
As the columns advanced, artillery and small arms crossfire killed and maimed commanders and private soldiers alike. The redoubt became a scene of hand-to-hand combat with swords and bayonets clashing.
Families from Virginia to the Carolinas, from Poland to Scotland, from France to Haiti, from Germany to England would mourn the loss and suffering of loved ones who spilled their blood on the ground surrounding the Spring Hill redoubt.
The 800 stones before you have three meanings: *They represent the approximate number of soldiers killed or wounded in Savannah on the foggy morning of October 9, 1779. *The stones are arranged as a column, with ten soldiers across. The French and American allies formed five such columns of men to attack the fortified British. *Inscribed on the stones are names and stories of people throughout the entire Revolutionary struggle from all the states, countries and cultures involved.
To your left stands a granite marker identifying the location of the Spring Hill redoubt, one of 14 British earth fortifications surrounding Savannah in 1779. It was here that the thousands in the French and other allied American columns tried to smash through the hundreds of British and loyalists defending this area.
The allied columns were meant to attack simultaneously, in overwhelming force. Due to poor communications, they arrived separately, disoriented and tired from hours of marching in the dark woods. With volunteers leading each column up the foggy slops, the soldiers attacked with fixed bayonets.
As the columns advanced, artillery and small arms crossfire killed and maimed commanders and private soldiers alike. The redoubt became a scene of hand-to-hand combat with swords and bayonets clashing.
Families from Virginia to the Carolinas, from Poland to Scotland, from France to Haiti, from Germany to England would mourn the loss and suffering of loved ones who spilled their blood on the ground surrounding the Spring Hill redoubt.
Location. 32° 4.548′ N, 81° 6.048′ W. Memorial is in Savannah, Georgia, in Chatham County. It is in Yamacraw Village. It is at the intersection of West Harris Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. on West Harris Street. The marker is on the grounds of Battlefield Memorial Park. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Savannah GA 31401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in the Coastal Plain and on the Georgia Coast and the Golden Isles. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Samuel Elbert (a few steps
3. To Arms Marker- close up of map in the upper left
Caption: This British battle map shows the defenses around Savannah.
Photographed by Don Morfe, September 22, 2013
4. To Arms Marker - close up of map in the lower right
Caption: This inset map shows the British defenses and the paths of the attacking French and American columns.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 355 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 1, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
