Historic District - North in Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Nathanael Greene, Maj. Gen., Continental Army
John Maitland, Lt. Col., 71st Regt. of Scotch Foot
Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2008
1. Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene and Lt. Col.John Maitland Marker
This tomb, known as the Graham vault, possesses the distinction of having been the burial place of two heroes of the Revolutionary War, one American and the other British.
Lt. Col. John Maitland of Lauder, Scotland, son of the 6th Earl of Lauderdale, won wide acclaim for his feat in bringing 800 Highlanders and Hessian troops by water from Beaufort to Savannah in Sept. 1779, under the eyes of the French fleet. The timely arrival of these reinforcements enabled Gen. Prevost to defend Savannah against the besieging French and American forces.
Maitland died at Savannah on October 26, 1779, shortly after the siege was raised. The British hero was buried in the vault of the Royalist Lieutenant Governor, John Graham. Col. Maitland's remains were, apparently, removed later to another burial place.
Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island, one of Washington's most brilliant generals, who died on June 19, 1786, at Mulberry Grove near Savannah, was also interred in the Graham vault. His burial place later became the subject of conjecture and remained so until 1901 when this tomb was opened and his remains identified. Gen. Greene's ashes now repose beneath his monument in Johnson Square
Erected 1952 by Georgia Historical Commission. (Marker Number 025-11.)
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Location. 32° 4.535′ N, 81° 5.356′ W. Marker is in Savannah, Georgia, in Chatham County. It is in the Historic District - North. Marker can be reached from East Oglethorpe Ave.. Marker in Colonial Park Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Savannah GA 31401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Great Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1820 (within shouting distance of this marker); James Habersham (within shouting distance of this marker); Joseph Habersham (1751-1815) (within shouting distance of this marker); Hugh McCall (1767-1823) (within shouting distance of this marker); 1812 Wesley Chapel (within shouting distance of this marker); Police Station Steps (within shouting distance of this marker); Button Gwinnett (within shouting distance of this marker); Police Officers Monument (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Savannah.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2008
2. Gen. Greene and Lt. Col. Maitland Marker
Regarding Nathanael Greene, Maj. Gen., Continental Army. After Nathanael Greene died, he was interred with civic and military honors in the Graham Vault in Colonial Park Cemetery. Colonial Park Cemetery is the second oldest cemetery in Savannah. There are several patriots buried here including the Habersham family, Button Gwinnet, and Lachlan McIntosh. Lieutenant Colonel John Maitland of Lauder, Scotland, a British officer killed in the Siege of Savannah, was already buried in the vault. In 1793, Greene's son, George Washington Greene, was also placed in the vault after he drowned in the Savannah River. During the Civil War, Union soldiers under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman broke open many of the vaults in search of valuables. They also entertained themselves by altering epitaphs on some of the graves. As a result, the exact location of the vault was lost. Eventually, it was rediscovered and the bodies of Nathanael and George Washington Greene were re-interred under a fifty-foot tall marble obelisk in Johnson Square. The remains of John Maitland have since been removed and sent back to Scotland. Johnson Square is only a couple blocks north of the cemetery. The obelisk, designed by William Strickland, was completed in 1830. On 21 March 1825, the cornerstone was laid in a ceremony presided over by the Marquis de Lafayette.
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 21, 2005
3. Nathanael Greene, Maj. Gen., Continental Army Marker
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Marker works with Colonial Park
Also see . . .
1. Siege of Savannah. New Georgia Encyclopedia entry:
Both the American and the French remained in the area until October 16, when Lincoln began an orderly withdrawal to Charleston. D'estaing set sail for France over a two day period begining October 19. Lt. Colonel John Maitland, who had advanced from Beaufort, South Carolina in support of General Augustine Prevost died on October 22, not the victim of the battle but because of disease. (Submitted on February 12, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.) (Submitted on February 16, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Nathanael Greene. Wikipedia biography:
When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. He directed the "Southern Campaign" which included the battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, 1781. The campaign culminated in the siege of Yorktown, Virginia. (Submitted on February 12, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
Photographed By Mike Stroud, February 2008
4. Beside the Graham Vault
Photographed By Mike Stroud, February 2008
5. The Graham Vault
The Graham Vault +
Here rested for 114 years the remains of Maj. Gen.
Nathanael Greene born in Rhode Island August 7, 1742 + Died at Mulberry Grove, Ga., June 19,1786 +
His remains and those of his eldest son George Washington Greene now lie under the monument in Johnson Square this city
Photographed By Wikipedia
6. Nathanael Greene
via Wikipedia, unknown
7. The Battle of Savannah
Attack of the 2nd South Carolina Continentals on the Spring Hill redoubt at the Siege of Savannah, October 9, 1779
Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 12, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 4,270 times since then and 73 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 3, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 3. submitted on October 6, 2012, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 12, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 7. submitted on February 16, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
