Dutchy and Dade – the Confederate history of Forgotten Georgia

 

‘Dutchy’ the demolished and buried Confederate statue of Elberton Georgia USA (photo: Jim Williamson /  Forgotten Georgia website)

It’s the 4th of July, American Independence Day.

I have spent several happy  evenings over the last week when I could have been gaming or painting, instead looking through the thousands of photographs on the Forgotten Georgia blog / website that I mentioned last week. http://forgottengeorgia2.blogspot.co.uk

I have now reached only E on the A to Z list of 159 Counties in the State of Georgia all represented on the Forgotten Georgia website – that’s a lot of Counties. http://news.wabe.org/post/why-ga-has-second-highest-number-counties-us

This website  is such a rich visual and historic treat for modellers and military historians.

I showed this website to a work colleague who models American railroads and he was excited and very intrigued at all the construction details revealed as many of these buildings slowly collapse.

There are many American Civil War  sites from railroad stations to the last Confederate wooden flagpole in Georgia, Confederate CSA memorials and grave markers.

There are also historic sites and cemetery markers for the War Of 1812, American War of Independence, pioneer times and the numerous Indian Wars, separation from Spanish Florida etc.

There are turpentine tree stumps, preserved or faltering buildings from Black or African American schools to small chapels, covered bridges to rusting tin roofed wooden shacks and barns, Edward Hopper style town houses, mercantile stores, post offices, cotton gins, mills  and businesses right up to the Fifties and Sixties. Sometimes all that remains is a chimney stack in a field  or a small family cemetery of a few graves.

Lots of interesting stories, some known and well documented, others as forgotten as the ruined buildings themselves. Some photos have captions from the family, some proudly talking about their restored or surviving buildings, others about their family ruin. Some other sites or buildings have informative Georgia Historiacal Society metal plaques. http://georgiahistory.com

One story  I noted was Dutchy, an unfortunate and unloved Confederate memorial, demolished by its own townsfolk.

” Dutchy” was the first monument made in Elberton in 1898 as the town’s Confederate Memorial. The town’s people were not happy. They thought he looked too squat and said he looked like a Yankee, “a cross between a Pennsylvania Dutchman and a hippopotamus,” thus the name.

In 1900 a group of young men, tired of others making fun, pulled him down and buried him in a deep grave. He was exhumed in 1982 and is on display at the Granite Museum in Elberton.

Demolished by his own side! The photograph of Dutchy and text are courtesy of Jim Williamson and the Forgotten Georgia website.

http://forgottengeorgia2.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/dutchy.html

From the Elberton Granite Museum website.

Several other websites mention Dutchy, a prize exhibit of  the Granite Musum of Elberton GA in Georgia USA, which has a great short video about Dutchy.

http://www.egaonline.com/learn/elberton-granite-museum

There is another short video on the Georgia History Today website,  showing a glimpse of the replacement statue.

http://www.todayingeorgiahistory.org/content/dutchy-confederate-monument-elberton

The replacement more conventional statue is shown here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/posrus/10372281864/

http://www.exploregeorgia.org/listing/1593-elberton-granite-museum-exhibit

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/7958

Sadly the Granite Museum shop (online) does not seem to sell miniature Dutchy statues, as who would not want a whole regiment of these strange Confederate (or Union) looking  troops?

Many counties in Georgia were witness to Civil War skirmishes and battles including Sherman’s March to the Sea which led to much destruction by both sides. http://www.civilwarheritagetrails.org/ga-civil-war-trails-map/ga-atlanta-campaign.html

The State Of Dade

http://forgottengeorgia2.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Dade%20County

The Georgia map on the Elberton sign thankfully includes the missing or lost County of  Dade GA, isolated up in the far Northwest of Georgia:

In 1860, residents of Dade County voted to secede from the state of Georgia and from the United States, but no government outside the county ever recognized this gesture as legal. [On July 4th] 1945, the county symbolically “rejoined” Georgia and the United States …

Shortly after the Georgia State Quarter was released by the US Mint [1999], Dade County gained attention because of an apparent mistake in the design. As shown on the quarter, the state appears to lack Dade County, in the extreme northwestern part of the state. Some accounts in 2012 suggest the exclusion was intended to refer to the local legend of Dade County’s secession from Georgia [Wikipedia entry for Dade County, Georgia USA]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dade_County,_Georgia

The Dade County official website has a longer slightly debunking version of the The State Of Dade.

http://www.dadecounty-ga.gov/StateofDade.cfm

Not to be confused with the Free State of Jones recent Civil War film and book https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_State_of_Jones_(film)

Dade County is also the site of the 1863 Civil War bloody Battle of Chickamauga.

http://www.dadecounty-ga.gov/BattleofChickamauga.cfm

Airfix Postscript

Arguably the finest Confederate statues are the tiny Airfix OO/HO Confederate Infantry. These 1960s and 1970s plastic figures are slowly getting brittle, sadly not all of my original boyhood figures were fit for parade.

A few of my surviving boyhood Airfix Confederate Infantry, recently rebased, with an Atlantic Officer with homemade Dixie Flag, painted in the early 1980s. The opposing Federals or Blues and more about the train on another post.

And apologies to Canadian readers – happy 150th Canada Day on the 1st of July.

Blog by Mark, Man of TIN blog, Blogposted (but not born) on the  4th of July 2017.

 

 

 

 

Safari Toob Jamestown settlers

Another useful Safari Toob set of figures are The Jamestown Settlers set in 1:32 or 54mm scale, which contains some interesting and useful ‘character’ figures for modelling or gaming.

Educational descriptions of each figure. 12 Jamestown pieces includes 3 farm animals,  log fire and a wonky ship, so each figure is between £1 and 2 pounds or dollars effectively. 

These Safari Toob figures are produced in cooperation with the Jamestown Settlement Museum in Williamsburg Virginia.

https://www.safariltd.com/toobs-jamestown-settlers-figurines-680204

http://www.visitwilliamsburg.com/topic/jamestown

For American customers the Toob set is around $12 dollars, but can also buy ‘bulk bags’ of some of these Safari  Toob figures too.

Amazon UK retails these Toob sets for £12 to £15.

Captain John Smith of Pocahontas fame. Pocahontas features in the Powhatan Toob set. 

54mm Jamestown Settler workman with ax(e) by Safari Toob. Twig log collected by  Man of TIN.

54mm Jamestown blacksmith (without an anvil) but useful Fire. A 54mm anvil could be made from Fimo / Sculpy or suitable white metal one found. 

 

Safari Toob figures are ‘educational’ and come with short caption texts. We will feature more about the Powhatan Indian set (left) in another blog review  post. 

The Safari Toob website reliably informs that:

Arguably one of America’s most important landmarks, Jamestown was founded in 1607 by English settlers. While Jamestown is now celebrated as an important location for the development of the early American colonies, it wasn’t without its trials.

From 1609 to 1610, James struggled through a crippling lack of food known as the “Starving Time” which diminished the population by nearly 60%. However, the settlers were resilient, and over time Jamestown developed into one of the premier bastions of English civilization in America.

Useful 54mm accessories (cannon) matches with the pirate set barrels and cannonballs.

Wonky musket aside, this is a useful 54mm musketeer figure from the Safari Toob Jamestown settler set.

54mm Navigator with cross staff figure from the Safari Toob Jamestown Settler set. Pirate chest from a pound store plastic set.

 

Especially useful in both the Powhatan Indian figures (to be featured in next blogpost) and the Jamestown Settlers sets are the tradesmen and the civilian women.

54mm Jamestown settler woman cooking that can be used for many periods and nationalities.

Jamestown cook

54mm Jamestown Settler woman gardening.

There are equally good figures (shown) from the later Wild West settlers Toob set.

54mm Safari Toob Wild West settler and child with Jamestown settler with hoe. Toob sets often match together well.

 

 

 

 

 

Musketeer with wonky musket

Musketeer with wonky musket

Wonky and tiny thin 2D out of scale ship suitable for setting the background.

Expensive but interesting character figures, full of conversion possibilities.

Several other companies produce plastic 17th Century figures, but you can always mass produce your own with Doug Shand’s brilliant idea of dollar store conversions of Airfix Australians:

http://dougssoldiers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/dollar-store-thirty-years-war.html

Next Toob review will be the Powhatan Indian set which could also make interesting 54mm Maoris …

Posted by Mark, Man of TIN blog, December 2016.