Meet a Revolutionary War heroine from Georgia...
Nancy Morgan Hart
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Nancy Morgan Hart was Georgia's most acclaimed female participant during the Revolutionary War (1775-83). A devout patriot, Hart gained notoriety during the revolution for her determined efforts to rid the area of Tories, English soldiers, and British sympathizers. Her single-handed efforts against Tories and Indians in the Broad River frontier, as well as her covert activities as a patriot spy, have become the stuff of myth, legend, and local folklore.
According to contemporary accounts, "Aunt Nancy," as she was often called, was a tall, gangly woman who towered six feet in height. Like the frontier she inhabited, she was rough-hewn and rawboned, with red hair and a smallpox-scarred face. She was also cross-eyed. One early account pointed out that Hart had "no share of beauty — a fact she herself would have readily acknowledged, had she ever enjoyed an opportunity of looking into a mirror." |
Hart's physical appearance was matched by a feisty personal demeanor characterized by a hotheaded temper, a fearless spirit, and a penchant for exacting vengeance upon those who offended her or harmed her family and friends. Local Indians soon began to refer to her as "Wahatche," which may have meant "war woman." She was also a domineering wife. Many remembered that she, rather than her husband, ran the Hart household, which eventually included six sons and two daughters. Although she was illiterate, Hart was amply blessed with the skills and knowledge necessary for frontier survival; she was an expert herbalist, a skilled hunter, and despite her crossed eyes, an excellent shot.
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Photos and captions for first four photos courtesy of New Georgia Encyclopedia
Native Americans called Nancy Hart, Wahatchie. This meant War Woman. Her deeds during the American Revolutionary War not only earned this fierce name, but she is also the only woman in the state of Georgia for which a county is named. Just how did a woman in rural northeast Georgia earn these accolades? This is the story of the War Woman, Nancy Hart.
How & Where to Connect
In Atlanta, the best place to connect with Nancy Hart is Liberty Plaza. There, you will find an historical plaque entitled, "WAR WOMAN" (see photos above) that tells her story. Instructions on how to get there are provided below...
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