CERTAIN ABORIGINAL MOUNDS OF THE SAVANNAH RIVER. 

 By Clarence B. Moore. 



The Savannah river, a narrow, muddy stream with rapid current, is navigable 

 as far as Augusta, about 223 miles following the course of the stream, though the 

 distance in a straight line is considerably less. Our investigation was limited to 

 this portion of the river, which has South Carolina on the northern side and Georgia 

 on the southern side. 



The river runs between swamps extending a considerable distance back, the 

 inhabitants, as a rule, living in the back country, though at places bluffs have a few 

 inhabitants. All these high places were carefully examined by us during part of 

 the winter of 1897-1898, in a rapid steamer of light draught, our work, moreover, 

 being greatly facilitated through data acquired by George W. Rossignol, captain of 

 our steamer, who has been employed in mound work for years, who during the pre- 

 vious summer went to Augusta and back to prepare the way for the winter's work. 



It soon became apparent to us that the Savannah river, though no digging into 

 the mounds had been attempted for scientific purposes, did not offer a promising 

 field, for many rises in the ground known as mounds by the inhabitants proved to 

 be roughly circular banks thrown up by the current, and this was notably so in the 

 case of Little Patten and Big Patten, which are given as Indian mounds, even on 

 the government chart. In addition, the few mounds found back from the river in 

 cultivated fields were very small and had been rifled by seekers after treasure, and 

 the swamp mounds seemed made for domiciliary purposes. Therefore, we did not 

 pursue our usual custom, totally to demolish each mound discovered, as we had done, 

 as a rule, in Florida and on the Georgia coast. No mounds of which we heard, 

 however, except one on which stood a house, were left uninvestigated. 



The mounds of the Savannah river, in the main, as we found them, were of two 

 classes, namely : low burial mounds of sand, back on the high ground, and large 

 mounds of clay in the swamp, having a great summit plateau as though made for 

 habitation and refuge in periods of high water. In one case we found a burial in 

 one of these swamp mounds, which, however, may have been incidental during its 

 erection. 



It is not likely that the swamps of the Savannah had a large population in 

 prehistoric times, for the aborigines were good judges of dwelling sites. No shell 

 heaps are visible along the banks of the river — at least, below Augusta. There 

 were then probably comparatively few mounds in early times and of these, doubt- 

 less some of the smaller have been ploughed away. In addition, the river is ever 

 encroaching on the Carolina shore. In 1776, William Bartram saw a number of 



