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Bill Ramsaur,
President of the Marshes of Glynn Chapter
was pleased with the sizeable turnout and success of the
Patriots Day Celebration. "Massachusetts and Maine are the
only states to have an official Patriots Day state holiday
to commemorate the first Revolutionary War Battles at
Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Since this
victory of the Georgia Navy occurred on April 19th three
years later, we feel that Georgia has a good reason to
join Massachusetts and Maine in observing Patriots Day."
"We are especially gratified with the
support of the Ceremony co-sponsors, the responses of the
Golden Isles Veteran’s organizations and Masonic Lodges,
and the outstanding coverage by local newspapers. We
extend a cordial invitation to everyone to join us in
future Patriots Day Celebrations," Ramsaur said.
Some of the articles as reported in
Brunswick and
Jacksonville newspapers.
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Georgia Patriots Day
Celebration
April 19, 2006
Back to Events
Patriot's Day April 19, 2006 Program
Photos of Patriots Day Ceremony
Brunswick and
Jacksonville newspaper articles
A program initiated in 2005 by the
Georgia Society and Marshes of Glynn Chapter Sons of the American
Revolution was repeated on Wednesday, April 19, 2006. The Georgia Patriots
Day Ceremony commemorated a victory of outmanned Colonial forces over
three British ships in 1778 on the Frederica River near Fort Frederica on
St. Simons Island. This year’s Celebration was jointly sponsored with the
Brunswick & Fort Frederica Daughters of the American Revolution Chapters,
Coastal Georgia Historical Society and the Fort Frederica National
Monument.
Among the over 225 people who
attended were representatives of twenty-three Georgia and Florida DAR and
SAR Chapters, Society of Cincinnati in the State of Georgia, Colonial
Dames Seventeenth Century, five Coastal Georgia Veterans organizations and
four Masonic Lodges as well as ten Descendants of several of the Patriots
who fought the British on that day 228 years ago. Especially impressive
was the presentation of 25 wreaths commemorating men and one woman, Nancy
Hart who was a Patriot in the American Revolutionary War and a Glynn
County resident after the War.
One of the speakers was Lewis M.
Davis, a descendant of John Cutler Braddock, who commanded one of the
three gallies that captured the British ships. Gordon B. Smith, Savannah
Revolutionary War author, presented information about brothers, John and
Joseph Habersham who helped win the day for the American cause. Colonel
Samuel Elbert was the leader of the American forces and Jim Allen of
Brunswick told the audience how he was also responsible for establishing
Masonic Lodges in Colonial Georgia. Musical selections were provided by
the Navy Band Southeast Brass Quintet from the Jacksonville, Florida Naval
Station, and the National Anthem was beautifully sung by Rhonda Hambright
of St. Simons Island.
Thirty-four members of the Combined
Color Guard performed with flags of the Revolutionary War. In addition to
Georgia Society SAR Color Guard in Continental Line Officers uniforms and
the Colonel Elijah Clarke Militia, were the Florida Sons of Liberty SAR
Brigade; US Navy Submarine Base Honor Guard from Kings Bay,
Georgia; Bagpiper John Mortison; and Rangers from Fort Frederica, Fort
King George, and Fort Morris.
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