James Roberts Jenkins (abt. 1783 - abt. 1813)

Ancestors

Died about 2 Nov 1813 at about age 30 in Greene, Georgia

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Biography

James was born before 1786, perhaps around 1777. ^[1] He is the son of William Jenkins and Demarius Roberts. died Camp south of Flint River, possibly Camp Lawrence on the Federal Road

James lived in Greene County, Georgia. Lt. Col. James R. Jenkins, older brother of Royal Jenkins, was married to Milly Gresham Apr. 19, 1807 in Greene County, Georgia.

War of 1812

On 1 Jan 1812 President Madison gave a speech before Congress addressing grievances against Great Britain. The Congress declared war on 18 June.

The new counties of Putnam and Jones were the western border of Georgia with the frontier of the Creek Nation. The greatest threat to Georgians during the war came from the hostile Creek Indians allied with and supplied by the British. On August 30, 1813, a strong force of Creeks attacked and destroyed Fort Mims, an American post on the Alabama River, north of Mobile.

Major General John Floyd became the Commander of the Georgia Militia. In September of 1813, Floyd assembled 3,600 Georgia troops at Fort Hawkins. Fort Hawkins was a Federal Fort established in 1806 on the Ocmulgee River south of Putnam and Jones Counties along the boundary with the Creek Nation. This was the future location of Macon, Georgia. Floyd established a fort on the Alabama side of the Chattahoochee River in what would later become Russell County, Alabama. This was Fort Mitchell. Floyd marched his troops into Creek territory. his army, bolstered by a friendly Indian contingent, fell upon the hostile Creeks at the Creek town of Autosse on November 29, 1813. In a desperately fought action, Floyd's men forced the Creeks to retreat after a bayonet charge. This allowed Floyd to destroy Autosse and a second town nearby. Lacking proper supplies, Floyd returned to Fort Mitchell. Later on 27 January of 1814 thirteen hundred Creek warriors mounted a surprise attack against the encamped army on the banks of Calabee Creek. The assault was blunted by the Georgians' use of artillery and superior fire. The hostile Creeks were defeated by Andrew Jackson's forces in March of 1814 at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in what is present day Tallapoosa County, Alabama. During the war the next area of concern for Georgians was a British invasion of the coast. On 24 December a treaty was made in Ghent, Belgium. The American and British forces in the south were not aware of this. Although the peace agreement was signed on December 24, word did not reach the British forces assailing the Gulf coast in time to halt a major attack. On January 8, 1815, the British marched against New Orleans, hoping that by capturing the city they could separate Louisiana from the rest of the United States. 7,500 British soldiers under Sir Edward Pakenham were unable to penetrate the American defenses, and Jackson’s 4,500 troops, many of them expert marksmen from Kentucky and Tennessee, decimated the British lines. In half an hour, the British had retreated, General Pakenham was dead, and nearly 2,000 of his men were killed, wounded, or missing. the Americans suffered only eight killed and 13 wounded.

On January 10, 1815, British forces under the command of Admiral Sir George Cockburn landed on Cumberland Island, Georgia and later occupied St. Marys. General Floyd prepared his Georgians to defend the coast. News of the treaty came in Feb and the British withdrew.

Military

Aug. 4, 1813 - Georgia Journal, Milledgeville, Page 3 - The following is a list of the field and company officers assigned or appointed to command the Militia drafted for the service of the United States, from the 3d or Major General John Clark’s Division, in pursuance of an act of Congress passed the 10th April, 1813. Greene. Lieut. Colonel James R. Jenkins, Major Douglass Watson….

Aug. 29, 1813 - from http://vault.georgiaarchives.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/FileIINames/id/37767/rec/5 — Record ID F2JenkinsJames R - Cite as File II, Reference Services, RG 4-2-46, Georgia Archives - Camp near Fort Hawkins Sir Agreeable to your orders we arive in camp last evening, the whole of my Regiment, and am at a considerable loss to know what to do, we find no person authorized to receive us in the situation we are at present - the companys are not as large as the Law of the United States require but many of them are as large as your orders require, we are not only at a loss on that head, we are very scarce of provisions for the troops and when we have an oportunity of getting any it is issued at so late a period in the day that the troops labour under a considerable disadvantage thereby. the Beef is very indifferent so much so that several quarters have been burnt - their appear to be a considerable difference in the instructions which Captain Cook have received from Genl. Pinckney and those which we have recived from you. Consequently we have taken the liberty of addressing you and hope you will forward us by the bearer such instructions as we shall be governed by Page 2 - or such instructions as will obviate the present difficulties under which we labor. With centiments of respect I am Sir your Obt. Servt. the 29th August 1813. James R Jenkins Col. U.S.Q.[2?] G.M. P.S. The Strength of my regiment is twelve hundred and ninety three now in Camp. J R Jenkins Col U.S.Q. Page 3 - [Reverse] Letter from Lieut. Col. James R. Jenkins dated Camp near Fort Hawkins 29th August 1813. Military Stores Page 4 - [Reverse] Express His Excellency David B. Mitchell Millidgeville Georgia [end of term as governor was Nov. 5, 1813] Page 5 - Typed Transcript

"Letters of John Floyd, 1813-1838." The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Vol. 33, No. 3 (September, 1949), pp. 228-269. "Nov. 8, 1813, Camp South of Flint River....the army having arrived at this place on the second Inst., since which nothing of importance has transpired. I had sometime ago sent a detachment out in order to erect suitable works of defense for the protection of provisions which would necessarily be deposited for the supply of the army. Since my arrival I have had the work nearly finished, which is a strong stockade defended by two block courses, within the works a hospital and suitable provision houses are erected.…Colonel Newman has again joined the army and will continue with it. Colonel Jenkins, who commanded one of the regiments, died of a relapse which he took in returning too soon to camp."

Gardener, Charles Kitchell. A Dictionary of All Officers: Who Have Been Commissioned, Or Have Been Appointed and Served, in the Army of the United States, Since the Inauguration of Their First President in 1789, to the First January, 1853... Page 250 - James R. Jenkins (Geo) Colonel coming Geo mila in U. S. serv. 6 mos. Volts. 23 Aug '13: died 2 Nov. '13

Last Will

Will of James R Jenkins. Greene Co., GA, WB 3 (1806-1816), p. 128, written 24 Aug 1813, proven 2 May 1814. ^[2]

my wife Milley Jenkins
my children say Starling Gresham Jenkins, Pleasant C Jenkins and James R Jenkins Jr.
Exrs: wife Milley Jenkins, Starling Gresham
Wit: Frances Gresham, Nancy Gresham, A Gresham

Research Notes

He died during the Creek wars in November 1813 (see the notes I added). I have the children of James R. Jenkins and Milly Gresham as (not sure of accuracy however):
William Robert Jenkins b. Apr. 19, 1807!!, d. 1808
Sterling Gresham Jenkins b. Apr. 26, 1808, d. Oct. 7, 1880 in Talledega County, Alabama, a Reverend of Antioch Baptist - spouse Serene Ann Borders
Pleasant Cicero Jenkins b. July 19, 1809, d. 1845, married Harriet A. Daniel Nov. 9, 1831
James Robard Jenkins b. 1810, d. 1857
Frances Adelaide Jenkins b. 1814, d. 1880

There is a older James Jenkins who was probably a sibling or cousin of the older Royal Jenkins, William Jenkins, Elijah Jenkins, Lewis Jenkins and others:
1797 - All Georgia Tax Index, 1789-1799 -
Greene County: In Hopkins District, Ryal Jinkins and William Jinkins;
In Gresham District, Elijah Jenkins, James Jenkins, Lewis Jenkins and Lewis Jinkins;
In White District, John Jenkins;
In Speers District 1797, Jesse Jinkins
Wilkes County in 1791: Robert and John Jinkens
Burke County, in District 1, 1798: Francis, Sampson, and Thomas Jenkins
Hancock County, in Kirk District, 1796, Wiley Jenkins
Jefferson County, in Tarver District, 1799, Charles Jenkins
Oglethorpe County, in Duke District, Oglethorpe County, 1798, Philip Jinkins

Sources

1. ↑ Entered by James Hodges, Feb 19, 2013
2. ↑ Will of James R. Jenkins. Digital image at Ancestry.com - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8635/images/005756648_00333?usePUB=true&_phsrc=QUd15&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=366559

• Source Information

Direct Data Capture, comp. U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.

Original data:

Index to the Compiled Military Service Records for the Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812; Microfilm publication M602, 234 rolls; 654501; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1984, Record Group 94; The National Archives in Washington, D.C.

• Source Citation, Marriage Licenses Greene County, Georgia 1786-1810 page 46

Georgia Archives; Morrow, Georgia; County Marriage Records, 1828–1978 Source Information Ancestry.com. Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

Original data: County Marriage Records, 1828–1978. The Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia.

• Source Citation

Wills, 1786-1921; Author: Georgia. Court of Ordinary (Greene County); Probate Place: Greene, Georgia Description Notes: Wills, Vol A-G, 1786-1877

• Much of the above is supplied by Glenda Hodges, WikiTree profile: https://www.WikiTree.com/wiki/Hodges-710
• No sources. The events of James's life were either witnessed by James Hodges or James plans to add sources here later.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to James Hodges for starting this profile.