Three Signers of the Declaration

Three Signers of the Declaration of Independence from Georgia Honored with Stone Markers, October 9, 2012

On October 9, 2012, many turned out to honor those who fought and died at the Battle of Savannah in 1779. A brief ceremony took place on the battlefield and included remarks by representatives of the Coastal Heritage Society, a cannon salute from the 3rd Infantry Division salute battery, and the placing of wreaths at the foot of the memorial.

Participants gathered at 7:15 a.m. in the parking lot of the Savanna Visitor’s Center and marched behind re-enactors to Battlefield Memorial Park. The route followed that of American and French soldiers who attacked British fortifications in the battle.

Afterward, a ceremony was held to honor the three signers of the Declaration of independence from Georgia: Button Gwinnett , George Walton, and Lyman Hall. Three stone markers — one for each patriot signer — were placed on the grounds of Battlefield Park.

Later that morning I ventured over and visited Franklin Square to view a monument honoring another group of men who fought at the Battle of Savannah. While visiting the Haitian Memorial Monument, I took a moment to remember the unselfish sacrifices for the cause of liberty and independence that these men rendered to a country not their own.

As a descendant of an American Revolutionary War patriot named Mathieu Devaux dit Platilla, who served in Spanish Colonial Louisiana under the command of Governor-General Bernardo de Galvez, I was honored when the Button Gwinnett Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution invited me to render honors by placing the wreath at a memorial honoring those who fought and died at the Battle of Savannah on October 9, 1779, some 233 years ago. 

While in Savannah, I also visited the Colonial Park Cemetery, where Button Gwinnett is buried.

 
 
      
 
 
 

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