Infant William died in the arms of his older sister, 18 year old Mary Anne. After a team of Seminole Indians led by Billy Bowlegs, beat Mary Anne and her brother William as she held him in her arms. Infant William died immediately and Mary Anne died after receiving water from the soldiers. Their father, mother, four of their siblings along with their cousin, and the Wilkerson boy were all killed in the last Indian Massacre of Waycross Georgia. Four of her brothers, Reuben, Jesse, James, John and their cousin, 12 year old Alice Wilkerson all escape the Massacre. The news of the massacre spread to neighbors who heard the gun shots. They hurried toward the Wildes place and met the boys and the Wilkerson girl who had escaped. Immediately they took word to a small company of soldiers under Captain Elias Waldron, stationed on the edge of Kettle Creek, about four miles away. As the soldiers arrived at the Wildes home it was burned to the ground; the cows, penned up were bellowing on account of the odor of the blood, and dead bodies, were lying about. They heard someone calling in a weak voice, and turned to find Mary Anne, still clinging to the dead baby and calling for water. One of the men rushed off to get it for her, and immediately upon drinking the water she fell dead.
The soldiers in the face of emergency for the burial of the dead, took the new wagon that Mr. Wildes had built. They took from their horses the saddle blankets, wrapped the the nine bodies and laid them in the wagon and excavated a space large enough to hold it. The large grave being dug near the home that had been the Wildes' abiding place in life.
Infant William died in the arms of his older sister, 18 year old Mary Anne. After a team of Seminole Indians led by Billy Bowlegs, beat Mary Anne and her brother William as she held him in her arms. Infant William died immediately and Mary Anne died after receiving water from the soldiers. Their father, mother, four of their siblings along with their cousin, and the Wilkerson boy were all killed in the last Indian Massacre of Waycross Georgia. Four of her brothers, Reuben, Jesse, James, John and their cousin, 12 year old Alice Wilkerson all escape the Massacre. The news of the massacre spread to neighbors who heard the gun shots. They hurried toward the Wildes place and met the boys and the Wilkerson girl who had escaped. Immediately they took word to a small company of soldiers under Captain Elias Waldron, stationed on the edge of Kettle Creek, about four miles away. As the soldiers arrived at the Wildes home it was burned to the ground; the cows, penned up were bellowing on account of the odor of the blood, and dead bodies, were lying about. They heard someone calling in a weak voice, and turned to find Mary Anne, still clinging to the dead baby and calling for water. One of the men rushed off to get it for her, and immediately upon drinking the water she fell dead.
The soldiers in the face of emergency for the burial of the dead, took the new wagon that Mr. Wildes had built. They took from their horses the saddle blankets, wrapped the the nine bodies and laid them in the wagon and excavated a space large enough to hold it. The large grave being dug near the home that had been the Wildes' abiding place in life.
Bio by: Athena
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