Re: Stephen Decatur Hight
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In reply to:
Stephen Decatur Hight
2/25/01
The story that you are referring to is contained in the Atlanta Historical Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1972 edition (and Winter 1984-85 edition)regarding 'George Hewitt Daniel (1816-1864)'.He was Stephen D. Hight's brother-in-law as well as his business partner.Both were married to daughters of Joel Colley.
As the story goes, while Union troops occupied Atlanta, Gen. Kenner Garrard conducted a raid on Covington on July 22, 1864.George H. Daniel was a Confederate officer in one of the local militia companies, but happened to be home at the time.He was at the train station in Covington, GA waiting to pick up one of his daughters when the Union troops found him with a gun.They held a 'drum-head court martial', sentenced him to be shot, and carried out the sentence in Clark's grove, just a few blocks from the Covington courthouse.
Both Stephen D. Hight and George H. Daniel are buried in the 'Colley' family graveyard near Covington, GA.