Stewart–Screven Monument

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Coordinates: 31°48′21″N 81°25′53″W / 31.80583°N 81.43139°W / 31.80583; -81.43139
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Stewart–Screven Monument
Stewart–Screven Monument (2011)
Map
31°48′21″N 81°25′53″W / 31.80583°N 81.43139°W / 31.80583; -81.43139
LocationMidway Historic District, Midway, Georgia, United States
BuilderMcNeel Marble Company
MaterialMarble
Height50 feet (15 m)
Dedicated dateApril 26, 1915
Dedicated toDaniel Stewart and James Screven

The Stewart–Screven Monument is a monument in Midway, Georgia, United States. Erected in 1915, the monument honors Daniel Stewart and James Screven, two generals from the American Revolutionary War. The monument is located in a cemetery in the Midway Historic District.

History[edit]

Background[edit]

Midway, Georgia was established in 1752. During the American Revolution, the area around Midway became a hotspot of Patriot activity, and Lyman Hall, who served as a delegate from Georgia in the Continental Congress, was from Midway.[1] During the reorganization of the state of Georgia during the American Revolutionary War, the county that Midway was in was named Liberty County in recognition of this.[2] Midway was also the home of two noted soldiers who served as generals in the Continental Army during the war: James Screven and Daniel Stewart.[3] In November 1778, Screven was mortally wounded during military action in Midway.[4] Both Stewart and Screven would later receive multiple honors due to their involvement in the war, including serving as the namesakes for several places in Georgia, such as Fort Screven,[5] Fort Stewart,[6] Screven County,[7] and Stewart County.[8]

Erection and dedication[edit]

In 1910, the United States Congress passed an act appropriating $10,000 towards the erection of a monument honoring both Screven and Stewart in Midway.[9][10] The push to erect a monument to honor the two had been championed by Willian Neyle Colquitt, a prominent citizen of Savannah, Georgia who, after the act was passed, was made secretary of the commission to erect the monument.[11] Other members of the commission included U.S. Senator Augustus O. Bacon, U.S. Representative Charles G. Edwards, and ex-President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt as the honorary chairman.[12] The monument was erected by the McNeel Marble Company.[13] It was officially dedicated on April 26, 1915, with multiple military companies in attendance, including several troops from Fort Screven. The dedication ceremony was attended by about 5,000 spectators.[14] Prior to its unveiling, it was covered by two large American flags.[15] Both Roosevelt and then-President Woodrow Wilson sent letters that were read aloud during the ceremony.[16]

Design[edit]

The monument in 2021

The monument is a large marble obelisk, rising to a height of 50 feet (15 m), with the base covering 30 square feet (2.8 m2).[17] It is located in the center of the cemetery near the Midway church, and it is the tallest structure in the cemetery.[18] Four copper plates adorn each face of the monument near its base, with the following inscriptions on them:[17]

1750 1778
Sacred to the Memory of BRIGADIER-GENERAL
JAMES SCREVEN, who Fell, Covered with Wounds
at Sunbury, Near this Spot, on the 22nd Day of Novem-
ber, 1778. He Died on the 24th Day of November, 1778,
from the Effects of his Wounds.

— (North face)

Reared by the Congress of the United States as a
Nation's Tribute to BRIGADIER-GENERALS JAMES
SCREVEN and DANIEL STEWART.

— (East face)

1759 1829
Sacred to the Memory of BRIGADIER-GENERAL
DANIEL STEWART, a Gallant Soldier in the Revolu-
tion and an Officer Brevetted for Bravery in the Indian
Wars.

— (South face)

The plate on the west face of the monument bears no text and instead depicts the Midway Church building.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ The Georgia Society of the Colonial Dames of America 1924, p. 387.
  2. ^ The Georgia Society of the Colonial Dames of America 1924, p. 388.
  3. ^ Knight 1913, p. 731.
  4. ^ "General James Screven Killed in Battle Here". Georgia Historical Society. June 16, 2014. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  5. ^ "Fort Screven". Georgia Historical Society. June 16, 2014. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  6. ^ Stein, Barry Jason (1993). Capelotti, P. J. (ed.). U.S. Army Heraldic Crests: A Complete Illustrated History of Authorized Distinctive Unit Insignia. University of South Carolina Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-87249-963-8 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Screven County". Georgia Historical Society. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  8. ^ "Lumpkin and Stewart County". Georgia Historical Society. June 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  9. ^ Proceedings of the Annual Session of the Bar Association of Tennessee. Tennessee Bar Association. 1911. p. 42 – via Google Books.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ^ "Monuments to Generals Stewart and Screven". Congressional Record. 45 (116): 5968–5969. May 4, 1910 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Harden, William (1913). A History of Savannah and South Georgia. Vol. II. Lewis Publishing Company. p. 899 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Knight 1913, p. 732.
  13. ^ "Public Monuments Recently Unveiled". The Monumental News. XXVII (1): 341. January 1915 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ Devendorf 2009, p. 35.
  15. ^ Devendorf 2009, p. 36.
  16. ^ Knight, Lucian Lamar (1917). A Standard History of Georgia and Georgians. Vol. I. Lewis publishing Company. p. 315. ISBN 978-0-7222-0901-1 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ a b Knight, Lucian Lamar (1914). Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends. Vol. II. Byrd Printing Company. pp. 841–842 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ Parker, Alena (November 8, 2008). "Tales and Legends tour mixes mystery, history". Coastal Courier. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.

Bibliography[edit]

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