Madison Square - Battle Lines and a Christmas Gift
Photo: Disc Wheel, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
A stop on Savannah, a free self-guided tour.
Madison Square, laid out in 1837 and named for President James Madison, sits on ground that saw real fighting. During the Siege of Savannah in 1779, American and French forces tried and failed to take the city back from the British. A marker here notes the center of the British defenses.
The statue honors Sergeant William Jasper, who was mortally wounded in that attack while rescuing his unit's flag. Sculptor Alexander Doyle made the monument in 1888. The small cannons nearby mark the starting points of Georgia's first highways.
Now look at the Gothic Revival mansion on the west side of the square with the elaborate iron porch. This is the Green-Meldrim House. In December 1864, when General William T. Sherman's Union army reached Savannah at the end of the March to the Sea, Sherman used the house as his headquarters. From there he telegraphed President Lincoln offering him the city as a Christmas present.
Getting here: Continue south on Bull Street for two blocks to Madison Square.
Did you know?: Because Savannah surrendered without a fight in 1864, its old squares and houses were spared the destruction seen in many other Southern cities.
Photo op: Stand by the Jasper monument and turn toward the Green-Meldrim House to frame its Gothic ironwork.
More on Wikipedia: Madison Square · Siege of Savannah · Green-Meldrim House · William Tecumseh Sherman
Stops on this tour
- Johnson Square - Where the Plan Began
- River Street and Factors Walk - Built on Cotton
- City Market and Ellis Square - A Square Won Back
- First African Baptist Church - A Congregation's Own Bricks
- Wright Square - Tomochichi's Resting Place
- Owens-Thomas House - Regency Mansion and Slave Quarters
- Chippewa Square - Oglethorpe Stands Guard
- Madison Square - Battle Lines and a Christmas Gift
- Cathedral of St. John the Baptist - Twin Spires
- Taylor Square - A New Name for an Old Square
- Monterey Square - Pulaski and the Mercer House
- Forsyth Park Fountain - The Grand Finale