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CHAPTER XX
RELATION 01 OGLETHORPE TO GEORGIA—POWERS AND LIMITATIONS—
FAILURES AND SUCCESSES—DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OGLETHORPE AND
THE TRUSTEES RELATIVE TO FINANCIAL MATTERS—THE WHOLE MAT
TER REVIVED BY AN IMPARTIAL INVESTIGATOR.
(This chapter contributed by James Boss McCain, A. M.)
One of the interesting problems of the colonial history of Georgia is
the relation and importance of James Oglethorpe to the settling and
developing of the province. Was he the father of the enterprise ? Was
he responsible for the plans and rules under which it was attempted?
What motives prompted him to accompany the colonists to America?
Was his presence of real benefit to the colony? What .were his legal
powers in Georgia? What led to the later friction between him and the
trustees and to his withdrawal from participation in Georgia affairs?
The answer to at least a portion of the questions may be' found by ex
amining the principal facts of his life and by following in order the
various entries in the records of the trustees regarding Ms activities
under their directions.
No detailed account of Oglethorpe's life is necessary, and indeed the
facts are not sufficiently established to warrant a full summary of his
life before he went to Georgia. He was born on June 1, 1689. He
matriculated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, though the date of his
entrance is in doubt, but he soon left his college work for service in the
' army. In 1710 he was an ensign in the British Army and served till
the war ended in 1713. It was in this war of the Spanish Succession
that he got his first contract with the Spanish, a contract which was to
be hostile when renewed in America. Soon after the Treaty of Utrecht,
he entered the service of Prince Eugene of Savoy, with whom he con
tinued until 1718, when he returned to England. There is no definite
information available as to the amount or the quality of the service ren
dered by Oglethorpe during the time he was connected with the army.
Many conjectures have been made as to his attainments in military
science and experience; but they are inferences from his later career
rather than actual facts.*
On the death of his brother Theophilus, he inherited a considerable
estate at Westbrook, and he settled down to what gave promise of being
the ordinary life of an English gentleman. His manor was situated
near Godalming in Surrey County and was sufficient to enable him to
live in independence and comfort. Like so many of the country gentle-
' Wright 5, 7.
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