Post by Will DockeryAt Evening on the Banks of the Chattahoochee / Mirabeau B. Lamar
Oft when the sun along the west
His farewell splendor throws,
Imparting to the wounded breast
The spirit of repose
My mind reverts to former themes,
To joys of other days
When love illumined all my dreams.
And hope inspired my lays.
[...]
http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/newspapers/poemexto2260gnw.txt
"The cottage of the Lamars was so near the Chattahoochee River that the spring floods of 1829 inundated the floors. Their favorite evening stroll was the quarter mile of river bank only three blocks from their home,for which Lamar predicted a future as a promenade. Two years after his wife's death. Lamar wrote "At Evening on the Banks of the Chattahoochee," as he sat here at the spot made dear by its association with her..."
Columbus Ledger - Enquirer 1978
Poem Extols Editor's Grief
In contrast tob the poetry, here is what was happening in reality in the same area, on both sides of the Chattahoochee River:
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/columbus-ga/T4JVUU41KM6N67O3R
Okay, here is part one,, from the archives:
Muscogee Creek Indian History found and posted by Melissa Harget, reposted here for information, archival, historical purposes.
In regard to the Creek Indian Villages in and around Columbus, Ga
Relative peace reigned between whites and Native Americans in the early 1820's. A notable event in the Fort Benning region occurred when the aging Frenchman and Revolutionary War hero, Marquis de LaFayette, journeyed down the Federal Road in March 1825 on his triumphant tour of the country.
LaFayette was one of the last, high-ranking officers of the Revolutionary War still alive.LaFayette's entourage made its first stop on Fort Benning land at a trading post run by an American fur trader. The sky was just clearing after a spring storm when LaFayette's carriage, guarded by the Georgia militia, arrived. Auguste Levasseur, LaFayette's secretary, later wrote that there were two male Indians, "remarkable for their beauty and form," sitting near the doorway of the trading post. The youngest of the pair spoke impeccable English. His name was Hambly (or Hamley), and he was the son of Creek and white parents.
Hambly told the visitors that he had left Indian territory when he was younger to be educated in the United States, but returned to Indian lands because he preferred the native way of life. He had apparently married several Creek women. Levasseur and another man, known only as George, who were traveling with LaFayette carried on a cordial conversation with Hambly who invited them (and apparently the rest of the caravan) to visit his nearby home. There he demonstrated Indian dances for the visitors. Levasseur reciprocated by performing French dances.
Researcher John Metcalf recently pinpointed the probable location of the Hambly farm in an eastern quadrant of Fort Benning. In a report on preliminary investigations at the site, archeologists Christopher Goodwin and Eric Poplin state there were apparent remains of a fireplace and a group of sandstone boulders perhaps used as footing stones for a cabin.
LaFayette and his caravan traveled on to the banks of the Chattahoochee River where they encountered a large delegation of Creeks. At the Kasita crossing, the elderly Frenchman climbed upon a barge. Then young Indian men, first wading, then swimming, dragged the barge across the river. On the other side, LaFayette climbed into a small carriage, and the Indians, using two long ropes, pulled the carriage up the steep slope.
Upon his arrival at Fort Mitchell, an elaborate welcoming ceremony unfolded. There were laudatory speeches in the Frenchman's honor by various dignitaries on the parade ground. The Creek chief, Little Prince, dazzled the crowd with a moving oration. He expressed joy at being able to welcome the honored war hero. After his speech, Little Prince explained to the visitors the lacrosse-type game sometimes called the "little brother of war." Indians then put on a demonstration game. It was one of the last times that local Native Americans and white settlers shared friendly relations.
(To be Continued)