546 THOMAS COUNTY. 



Oglethorpe, and then in Milledgeville, where he built the State 

 House. He afterwards removed to Athens, and married Miss 

 Susan Cox. He was here engaged to construct the buildings 

 of Franklin College, and whilst thus employed, aided by Dr. 

 Meigs, who gave him the use of his library and afforded him 

 other facilities, he improved himself in some of the higher 

 branches of education. So great was his thirst for knowledge, 

 that after spending the day in the labours of his profession, 

 he would devote the greater part of the night to study. In 

 this manner his mind became stored with useful information. 

 In the war of 1812 he commanded the artillery attached to 

 the army of Gen. Floyd, in his expedition against the Creeks. 

 At the battle of Autossee, he distinguished himself for gal- 

 lantry. In the account which General Floyd gives of this 

 battle, he says : " Capt. Thomas's artillery marched in front of 

 the right column on the road." " Capt. Thomas and his com- 

 pany killed a great many Indians, and deserve particular 

 praise." In the engagement at Camp Defiance he rendered 

 important services, and in the official statements of that affair 

 it is declared " that the steady firmness and incessant fire of 

 Capt. Thomas's artillery and Capt. Adams's riflemen preserved 

 our front line ; both of these suffered greatly." Gen. Thomas 

 possessed the art, in an eminent degree, of animating his men 

 on the field of battle, and perhaps there never was a braver band 

 than that which composed his artillery company. In the heat 

 of one of the battles just mentioned, one of his pieces of artillery 

 had but three men left, and the matchmen were shot down in 

 succession. At this moment, when the Indians seemed deter- 

 mined to take possession of the cannon, when ten men out of 

 thirteen were weltering in their gore, and nothing but inevi- 

 table destruction appeared to await the remaining three, 

 Ezekiel M. Attaway,* with heroic firmness, wrested the tra- 

 versing handspike from the carriage of the gun, exclaiming to 

 his two brave comrades, " With this 1 will defend the piece as 

 long as I can stand — we must not give up the gun, boys — 

 seize the first weapon you can lay your hands upon, and stick 



* It would give the author great pleasure to insert the name of the 

 county in which this gentleman resides, but this he has been unable to ascer- 

 tain. Of such a citizen, Georgia may well be proud. 



