St. Simons Island, Georgia - Romantic Jewel of the Southern Coast

Continuing our St. Valentine's Day look at some of the most romantic destinations in the South, there are few places that possess the charm and beauty of historic St. Simons Island on the Georgia coast.

One of the Peach State's famed Golden Isles, St. Simons is a place unto itself. There are ruins of the old English settlement and fort of Frederica, the beautiful St. Simons Lighthouse, oak canopied streets, unique shopping and dining districts and an array of unique and charming places to stay. Dolphins play off the waterfront and the island fronts an area of the Atlantic that is a noted habitat of the magnificent North Atlantic Right Whale.

St. Simons was inhabited by Native Americans for centuries before Spanish missionaries arrived to bring Christianity to the Guale Indians. The Spanish eventually gave way to the English, who established Fort Frederica on the island during the 1700s. The ruins of the old fort and town can still be seen beneath the magnificent moss-draped oaks at Fort Frederica National Monument.

Visitors can climb to the top of the St. Simons Lighthouse for spectacular panoramic views of the island and adjacent waters. They can also learn the history of the beautiful old tower as well as the story of its well known ghost.

And the causeway out to the island passes over the Marshes of Glynn, made famous by the noted Southern poet Sidney Lanier.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/stsimons.

Fort Frederica National Monument - St. Simons Island, Georgia

It is hard not to fall in love with the picturesque setting of old Fort Frederica.

Located on a bend of the Frederica River and looking out over poet Sidney Lanier's famed "Marshes of Glynn," the ruins of the old fort and associated English village still stand beneath massive oak trees draped in Spanish moss.

Now a national park area, Fort Frederica was once a powerful defensive position built by General James Oglethorpe in 1736 to defend his fledgling Georgia colony against attacks from the Spanish in Florida. Oglethorpe picked St. Simons Island because it commanded both the vital inland waterway leading up the Georgia Coast as well as one of the best deep water harbors between Savannah and the St. Johns River. The large island also offered decent lands for farming, a vital necessity for the support of any town established there.

Frederica's history is extremely rich. The powerful fort was the target of a Spanish campaign in 1742 that was turned back at the nearby Battles of Gully Hole Creek and Bloody Marsh. The success of English arms in these battles allowed the little English village established by Oglethorpe inside a stout wall of earth and timber to prosper for a time as one of the most successful settlements in Georgia.

The famed ministers Revs. Charles and John Wesley preached there in homes and beneath the natural arbors of the island. John Wesley is remembered today as the father of the Methodist Church, while Charles is best known for the many beautiful hymns he wrote, including "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing."

Time, however, eventually moved on past Fort Frederica. The garrison was disbanded, a move that was also the death blow for the town. Left in ruins by a fire during the 1750s, the site was eventually reclaimed by the lush forests of St. Simons Island.

Today visitors to the site can still see the ruins of Oglethorpe's original fortress and look out at the river over the barrel of what is thought to be one of his original cannon. Ruins of the barracks and other military structures also survive, but equally fascinating are the ruins of the homes of Frederica's citizens. In one of them a tavern keeper's wife attacked one of the Wesley brothers with her scissors, while in another trades were negotiated with hunters and chiefs of the Creek Nation. Archaeologists have uncovered the foundations of many of the homes and interpretive panels help visitors understand what went on in each.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortfrederica.

Battle of Bloody Marsh - St. Simons Island, Georgia

Legend holds that on July 7, 1742, an expanse of saltwater marsh ran red with blood as English troops ambushed and drove back Spanish soldiers on St. Simons Island, Georgia.

The event has been remembered as the Battle of Bloody Marsh and the site is now preserved as a detached unit of Fort Frederica National Monument.

The real story of the fight at Bloody Marsh is a bit different, but still highly significant. English troops led by General James Oglethorpe had defeated a Spanish advance force earlier in the day at the smaller but actually bloodier Battle of Gully Hole Creek (see yesterday's post). When the Spanish forces withdrew down the island's Military Road following that encounter, Oglethorpe followed them. Recognizing that he would need additional men, the general put his company of Independent Highlanders and part of the 42nd Regiment of Foot into position along the edge of an area of woods looking out across the open marsh any Spanish advance would likely cross. He then started to the rear to speed up his reinforcements that were moving down the island from Fort Frederica.

By mid-afternoon, Spanish commander Governor Don Manuel de Montiano ordered additional troops forward to help his retreating advance make it back to his base at Fort St. Simons. Moving up the Military Road, they soon reached the open marsh covered by Oglethorpe's troops.

Although legend holds that the Spanish were caught by surprised and ambushed by the English, an eyewitness described them moving forward with shouts. This indicates they probably knew Oglethorpe's men were waiting and were launching an attack against them.

Additional support for this is provided by the fact that part of the English line collapsed in the face of the Spanish attack. At least three "squads" from the 42nd Regiment of Foot retreated in confusion, leaving the Highlanders along with some rangers and a few allied Indians. The story with the hard-fighting Highlanders was different. As they Spanish approached they fought with such fury that the battle quickly turned into a stalemate and finally an English victory when the Spanish ran out of ammunition and were forced to withdraw. While it is true that blood may have been seen running in the marsh, casualties were light.

The Battle of Bloody Marsh marked the end of the last major Spanish land campaign to retake the nation's lost lands in Georgia and South Carolina. Combined with the English victory at Gully Hole Creek earlier in the day, the engagement convinced Montiano that he could not overwhelm Oglethorpe with his land forces. He soon would withdraw back to St. Augustine leaving Georgia firmly and permanently in English possession.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/bloodymarsh.