On the eastern side of Bonaventure Cemetery right on the bank of the Wilmington River in Section H Lot 101, you will find the final resting place of one of the most admired Georgians of his day, Henry Rootes Jackson. His life and contributions to Georgia and the United States are honored with a beautiful column monument made from processed red granite with a beautiful bronze urn on top. The beautiful family plot is in the perfect place in the cemetery, high above the Wilmington River with majestic views and cool breezes. The plot is surrounded by oak trees and Spanish moss giving it a hauntingly majestic look. It is one of my favorite places in Bonaventure.
Henry Rootes Jackson was born in Athens, Georgia, in July of 1820 during a time period known as “The Era of Good Feelings” in the United States. The country was just 44 years old at the time of Mr. Jackson’s birth and just 41 years away from the Civil War. His father, Dr. Henry Jackson, was a professor at the University of Georgia, and he would tutor young Henry privately until his teen years when he entered Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. It wasn’t uncommon during that time for prominent Southerners to go to the Northeast for their formal education. Henry was an outstanding student and a member of the “Skull and Crossbones,” which is a secret student society at Yale. He graduated from Yale with honors in 1839. After graduating from the Ivy institution in New Haven, Henry returned to Georgia and studied law.
Henry married Cornelia Augusta Davenport of Savannah in 1843, and they had 4 children, 3 sons and a daughter. Cornelia died in 1853 and is buried in Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah. His second wife was Florence Barclay King, who was the daughter of a US Congressman of St. Simon’s Island. She died in 1912 and is buried beside him in Bonaventure Cemetery. It is believed that she was behind the purchase of the beautiful bronze urn on top of the monument in the family plot and that it was purchased from Tiffany and Company, New York City. Legend has it that she threw a shindig on the bank of the river when the monument was erected. She had a band playing, there was food, and the wine was flowing!
General Jackson accomplished a lot in his 77 years. He was a distinguished lawyer and judge, and he was appointed U.S. District Attorney for Georgia before his 24th birthday! He also prosecuted the owners and crew of the slave ship, The Wanderer. The Wanderer was the second to last ship to try to bring imported slaves into the United States. Slave importation had been outlawed in 1808 under the urging of President Thomas Jefferson. The Wanderer arrived on the Georgia coast in November of 1858 after crossing the Atlantic from Africa with 409 slaves. The United States brought charges against the owners and crew but were unsuccessful in gaining a conviction. Henry Rootes Jackson was applauded for his prosecution efforts even in defeat. The case drew outrage from the North and was one of the many sparks that led to the Civil War.
General Jackson was an accomplished and decorated soldier serving in the United States Army and rising to the rank of Colonel during the US-Mexican War. He was a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He went head to head in battle against General William T. Sherman during the Atlanta campaign until the city fell. Sherman then embarked on his famous “March to the Sea.” He also served under General John Bell Hood and led troops in the battles of Jonesboro and Franklin in Tennessee. His troops fought valiantly in Nashville where he was captured in December of 1864 and sent to a Union prison. He was a prisoner of war until July 1865, three months after the war had ended.
Henry also had the trust of three Presidents, Franklin Pierce, James Buchannan, and Grover Cleveland, serving as Minister to Austria and to Mexico during their administrations. He was a great leader and talented businessman and held the position of director of the Central Railroad and Banking Company from 1893 until his death in 1898 from pneumonia. He was a published author, poet, and served as a newspaper editor. It was said that his writings were “manly” and “patriotic.” He was passionate about history and history preservation and served as the President of the Georgia Historical Society for 23 years. Henry Rootes Jackson was a true Renaissance Man and a true hero for Savannah, the state of Georgia, and the United States.