She became a valuable asset to the Rangers, serving both as a spy and a guide to the local region. 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. At the beginning of their endeavor, the women trained with the assistance of William J. Hardee’s Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics and little else. There is no existing information about her parentage, but it is believed by most scholars that she did, indeed, have parents. While few of these stories boast any amount of proof, some are repeated more frequently than others. “Nancy Hart (Ca. Georgia named Hart County and its seat, Hartwell, in her honor, along with the Nancy Hart Highway (Georgia Route 77) and Lake Hartwell. This is only one among a long list of patriotic acts that made up Hart’s life. do not show any casualties for July 18–25, 1862[5]. Nancy Morgan was born in the Yadkin River Valley of North Carolina in 1753. Since LaGrange was close to an intact rail line, their four hospitals were often full and women routinely took the wounded into their private homes for medical care. Nancy Morgan Hart Painting by Louis S. Glanzman According to Revolutionary lore, Nancy Hart famously outwitted a group of Tories who had invaded her home. A week later, the Confederate troops overran Summersville, burning many of the public buildings and taking Lt. Col. Starr prisoner. Her husband suggested they shoot them, but Nancy thought that was to good for them; instead her husband and a few neighbors hung the soldiers from a nearby tree. Some accounts say that Nancy fired off a warning shot into one of the soldiers that attempted to rush 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. Other accounts state that the murder of one of Nancy’s prize turkeys was the inciting incident. All donations made to the National Women’s Historical Society are tax-deductible. See more Science and Technology timelines. Nancy Hart's story has been recreated in the novel Rebel Hart by Edith Hemingway and Jacquelin Shields. During the Civil War, a group of women in LaGrange, Georgia, founded a militia company named the Nancy Harts to defend the town from the Union army. What Is it Really Like to Be an Internal Mentor for ENTITY Academy’s Writer’s Collective IVL? She was illiterate but ran her household well and was knowledgeable about frontier survival. Some Cherokee neighbors named her “Wahatche,” usually translated as “war woman.” Living on the colonial frontier, every member of the Morgan household was required to work hard to keep the family fed, clothed, and safe. Local Cherokees referred to her as war woman. She would dress as a man and enter Tory camps and British garrisons pretending to be feeble-minded in order to gain information, which she subsequently passed along to the Patriots. Cleaveland, R. Chris. Ann Morgan Hart, better known as Nancy or Aunt Nancy, had a personality that matched her six-foot, muscular frame and red hair. One soldier tried; that soldier died. Nancy Hart then moved back to the Broad River settlement, only to find that a flood had washed away the cabin. This is probably the reason why a few weeks after the beginning of the Civil War, on April 26, 1861, a group of women LaGrange, Georgia came together in a schoolhouse to form their own militia and proudly called themselves the “Nancy Harts.”, The LaGrange Light Guards of the Fourth Georgia Infantry was comprised primarily of men from the town of LaGrange. 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. It has been claimed Nancy herself was a cousin of Daniel Morgan and was related to Daniel Boone, though Encyclopedia Britannica says there is “no real evidence” to support that. She managed to slip two to Sukey through a gap in the wall (some say it was a hole in the chinking, but that would have been a pretty big hole to let the butts pass through) before the soldiers noticed and jumped up to stop her. Her direct descendant grandson notified me through Ancestry of this. Some Cherokee neighbors named her “Wahatche,” usually translated as “war woman.” When the Revolutionary War reached Georgia she proved she deserved that nickname. She served them liquor, and once they were drunk, filched their weapons, which she used to shoot two of the men and hold the rest captive until help arrived. 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. During the late 1790s, the Harts moved to Brunswick, Georgia. Be well, my friend. The grave of Joshua Douglas is in the Richwood City Cemetery in Richwood, WV. I will continue to research about her and my ancestry! I am going to continue looking into this, and hope to do a DNA test that can possibly confirm, but reguardless, finding her name on my Ancestry introduced me to such a great woman! Happy 4th! For those who may be wondering, I’ve not found any connection between her husband’s family and the Confederate guerrilla/spy Nancy Hart from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. 1735-1830).” New Georgia Encyclopedia, Georgia Humanities Council, 12 Aug. 2015, www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/nancy-hart-ca-1735-1830. The students got the date of Nancy's death from Boyd Stutler's account of her life in his 1963 book West Virginia in the Civil War. It was said she was hot-tempered and that she, not her husband, ran the family. Nancy Hart then moved back to the Broad River settlement, only to find that a flood had washed away the cabin. Around 1735 to 1830. Her mother was first cousin to Andrew Johnson, who became president after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.Hart lived with her family in West Virginia until the outbreak of the Civil War, at which time she developed great sympathy for the Southern cause. The legend of Nancy Hart was told and retold in and around Georgia for years to come. There exist various versions of this story, all of which agree in general, but provide different details. He died shortly thereafter, and Nancy returned to Broad River only to find that her home had been washed away in a river flood. John Thomas Scott, "Nancy Hart: 'Too Good Not to Tell Again,'" in Georgia Women: Their Lives and Times, vol. In the end, the Nancies chose to use their diplomacy rather than their military training to protect their town. Likely her smallpox-ravaged face and crossed eyes (and possibly her temper) turned away potential suitors, but not Benjamin Hart, a prominent North Carolinian (born in Virginia) whose family tree reportedly branches out to include Henry Clay and Thomas Benton Hart. It was said she was hot-tempered and that she, not her husband, ran the family. But the story begins in April 1965 when a fire tower watchman was laid to rest beside the grave of the Confederate spy. The remaining men rushed at her, and she shot and wounded another. Ann Morgan grew up in the colony of North Carolina. Some versions say that the demand, coupled with Nancy’s fiery patriotism, was enough to rouse her legendary fury. I think you should talk about her repercussion in sexism and about the fact that she Advanced the consideration of women in society, You should talk about how she died when she was born and where here grave was and how she helped the world. After that, she settled with one of her sons in Clark County, Georgia, and then in Henderson County, Kentucky where Nancy Hart died in 1830 around the age of ninety-three. She moved Her and her … Her husband joined the Georgia militia on the Patriot (American colonists) side and was frequently away from home, but Nancy feared neither men nor wild beasts. I think she was born around 1735, not 1753. The women were as sloppy as would be expected, but with training they gradually improved. [3] Official Records of the Civil War mention the capture of Companies "A" and "F" of the 9th West Virginia Infantry at Summersville, West Virginia, July 25, 1862—but have no mention of an arrest/escape of a Nancy Hart in 1862. She eventually moved in with her sister and brother-in-law, Mary and William Clay Price. Learn how your comment data is processed. The story of Nancy Hart shows not only that a woman can get in on the folk hero game too, but she can also inspire future generations of women to wreak havoc in her name. The story of Nancy Hart shows not only that a woman can get in on the folk hero game too, but she can also inspire future generations of women to wreak havoc in her name. During the Revolutionary War, Patriots were referred to as Whigs; American colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain were called Loyalists, also Tories. 1., ed. Nancy Hart, American Revolutionary heroine around whom gathered numerous stories of patriotic adventure and resourcefulness. During the early years of her life on her family's farm, she became an expert with rifles, pistols, and riding horses. She … became a shouting Christian, [and] fought the Devil as manfully as she had [once] fought the Tories.”. [1] According to legend, Hart did not smile because of the attire she had to wear for the picture. Some reports contend that Benjamin’s absence, in fact, made little difference to Nancy who had always been a “domineering” wife that had always run their household. "This means there will be another war," she is alleged to have said. A mural depicting the famous photograph of Nancy Hart is also in Richwood. Paul Bunyan, Jesse James, Davy Crockett - as well as his arch nemesis Mike Fink - are all historical figures that are now remembered more for their apocryphal antics than for their verifiable actions. Fascinating story, Gerald. "[7] This article cites various historical accounts of Nancy Hart's life. Jan 12, 1735. They had two sons, George and Kennos. Many remembered that she, rather than her husband, ran the Hart household, which eventually included six sons and two daughters. If you have a suggestion for a historical powerhouse you would like to see featured, tweet us with the hashtag #WomenThatDid. She was inducted into Georgia Women of Achievement in 1997. Eventually she settled with her son, John, along the Oconee River in Clarke County near Athens.