As the Union soldiers approached, the Confederate cavalrymen fled in panic, leaving only the Nancy Harts to defend the town. As they entered the cabin, they placed their guns by the door before sitting at her table to eat. When she was in her thirties, Nancy married Benjamin Hart, a prominent North Carolinian, and the couple had eight children. [7], Two accounts say that Nancy dressed as a man in order to enter Tory camps, where she could overhear talk and observe the layouts and other elements of military value. Some women take it by force. She was also cross-eyed. “Military History Monday: The Nancy Harts.” Digging History, 14 July 2014. After ordering her to cook the turkey, the Tories entered the cabin, stacked their weapons in the corner, and demanded something to drink. Harts husband fought in a band of the Georgia militia, a… Ann “Nancy” Morgan Hart was almost certainly a real person. After the war the Harts moved to Brunswick, Georgia, where Benjamin Hart died. Just by listening to her background and family, you could probably tell that she is a strong woman. According to legend, her husband wanted to shoot the soldiers, but she demanded that they were hanged. In April of 1865, Major General James H. Wilson was leading a raid on west Georgia when his troops began to approach LaGrange. Although she was illiterate, Hart was amply blessed with the skills and knowledge necessary for frontier survival; she was an expert herbalist, a skilled hunter, and an excellent shooter.[1]. One might be forgiven for thinking that the story of Nancy Hart ended after her death. In 1912, a railroad company’s archaeological excavation of the land near the Hart’s cabin unearthed six skeletons, suggesting that some version of the myth was true. Hall, Sharon. To the residents there, Hart was the pinnacle of Southern frontier grit. More in Revolution & Early Republic Figures, Media Gallery: Nancy Hart (ca. The Tory was hog-tied and taken as a prisoner to local militia. Drawing from the same reports, some surmised that it was more Benjamin’s desire for freedom rather than his patriotism that drew him into service. Local Indians soon began to refer to her as "Wahatche," which may have meant "war woman." Although she was illiterate, Hart was amply blessed with the skills and knowledge necessary for frontier survival; she was an expert herbalist, a skilled hunter and killer, and an excellent shot. Although explicit details concerning most of her life are unknown, Nancy Ann Morgan Hart is believed to have been born in North Carolina around 1735, in the Yadkin River valley. Some women are born into greatness. Around 1803 John Hart took his mother and family to Henderson County, Kentucky, to live near relatives. This is one of the only certainties about her life. She was a cousin to Revolutionary War general Daniel Morgan, who commanded victorious American forces at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina on January 17, 1781. A former governor of Georgia, George R. Gilmer, had a connection to Nancy Hart through his mother who knew the spirited frontierswoman personally. Cox, Dale. She held the remaining Tories captive until her husband and neighbors arrived. Please consider making a gift today to help raise the $170,000 we need to preserve this piece of American history forever. According to legend, her husband wanted to shoot the soldiers, but she demanded that they be hanged; which was accomplished on a nearby tree. Although the Nancies organized as a militia, their work throughout the war primarily consisted of acting as nurses in a Confederate hospital. Omissions? Later, Georgia also played a key role as the staging ground for several raids into British-controlled Florida. . Georgians have memorialized Nancy Hart in several place names: "Skeletons of Six Tories Hanged Near Elberton, Found,", CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, "Skeletons of Tories Killed by Nancy Hart Unearthed Tuesday", "Georgia Historical Marker for the "Nancy Harts, Army Corps of Engineers History of Hartwell Dam and Lake Hartwell, Nancy Hart Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nancy_Hart&oldid=984770579, People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Revolution, American spies during the American Revolution, CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles having same image on Wikidata and Wikipedia, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from June 2015, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 October 2020, at 00:34. They used chimney stones recovered from the site of the original cabin, which had stood on the crest of a large hill overlooking Wahachee Creek.[1]. This page is dedicated to the Confederate Spy Nancy Hart. Ann Short Chirhart and Betty Wood (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2009). There exist various versions of this story, all of which agree in general, but provide different details. NWHS strives for accuracy. When the Tories noticed what she was doing and sprang to their feet, Hart threatened to shoot the first man who moved a foot. Some versions say that the demand, coupled with Nancy’s fiery patriotism, was enough to rouse her legendary fury. [8], According to folklore, the local Native Americans referred to her as "Wahatche" which may translate to "War Woman", and named a creek for her. Stories of Nancy Hart’s antics abound, placing her at several monumental events during the war such as the Battle of Kettle creek and in situations that always ended with her cleverly injuring and capturing one or more Tory soldiers. Nancy's grave in the Book Cemetery, is on private land and not accessible by the general public who would like to visit her and her son John's graves. Nancy Hart, like many American frontierswomen, played an important role not only in defending her family and community during the War for Independence but also in shaping the memory of the American Revolution in ways that still resonate today. The soldiers demanded that she cook them one of the turkeys in her yard before they left. Political Parties, Interest Groups & Movements, Civil Rights & Modern Georgia, Since 1945, Georgia Women of Achievement: Nancy Morgan Hart, Georgia, My State: Government/Civic Understandings (Second Grade GSE), Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP), Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. She sent her daughter to the well for water and secretly instructed her to blow a conch shell to warn her husband and neighbors. [1], During the early 1770s, Nancy, Benjamin and their family left North Carolina and migrated into Georgia, settling in the extremely fertile Broad River valley of the northeast Piedmont area. She was buried in the Hart family cemetery a few miles outside of Henderson. A number of stories of her exploits in the war grew up and circulated for years before being written down. “The Nancy Harts - Female Confederate Soldiers of LaGrange, Georgia.” Explore Southern History, 17 Apr. Ann Morgan grew up in the colony of North Carolina. First, Benjamin took the family to Brunswick, Georgia. Many remembered that she, rather than her husband, ran the Hart household, which eventually included six sons and two daughters. [7] There are two stories about Nancy dressing as a man, entering Tory camps and gaining information of military value. She was rough-hewn and rawboned, with red hair and a face scarred by smallpox. One of the men rushed her and was shot dead; another she wounded. People believe that Nancy was most known as "Aunt Nancy". Other accounts say that her crossed eyes confused the soldiers into compliance and she didn’t need to shoot anyone to get her point across. Undaunted, the muscular, six-foot Nancy picked up the heavy bag and walked the rest of the way to the mill. She and her husband, Benjamin Hart, moved to Wilkes county, Georgia. Although explicit details concerning most of her life are unknown, Nancy Ann Morgan Hart is believed to have been born in North Carolina around 1735, in the Yadkin River valley. While no records exist that recount much of her life before age 36, we have to assume that few of her neighbors failed to take notice of her presence. Later, they enlisted the help of Dr. A.C. Ware, a town physician that had been exempted from military service. [8] According to folklore, the local Native Americans referred to her "Wahatche" which could have meant "War Woman", and named a creek for her. In the end, the Nancies chose to use their diplomacy rather than their military training to protect their town. The best-known story told of a day when five or six armed Tories arrived at her cabin and demanded that she cook them a meal. 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