Set upon the Corner of Whitaker and Broughton streets in Savannah-towne, PETER TONDEE doth open to all Gentlemen a PUBLICK HOUSE, wherein are to be found all manner of wholesome ALES, DRAUGHTS, LIQUOURS, and SPIRITS; such House also having goodly and fair Victuals and Provender expeditiously served. Those Gentlemen wishing to call together their fellows for Meeting, whether privily or publickly, may make inquiry of the Landlord for the use of the LONG ROOM, which offers commodious accommodations for seating upwards of One Hundred.

T

ondee’s Tavern is the repository for articles written by various members of the Georgia Refugees. As with every other cotton-picking thing on this website, it is definitely a work-in-progress. Please bear with us as we continue to add to it. Some of the articles may not necessarily relate directly to the War of Independence or reenacting, but are nonetheless worth a look.

A word about the logo and advertisement above—Peter Tondee did have a tavern in Savannah at the corner of Whitaker and Broughton, and it did have a Long Room for meetings, and they did serve booze and eats. Unfortunately, the place burned down in 1796 with the rest of the town. The sign is something I invented from whole cloth (or pixels) using a clip art I found on the web, but I thought it looked pretty cool, so I put it up. Likewise the advertisement—a sheer fabrication. What is certain, however, is that the events that transpired inside of its walls set Georgia on the course for revolution. Two good articles about Peter Tondee and his tavern may be found at:

http://www.savannahmorningnews.com/features/year2000/gaheritage/tondee.html

and at

http://web.cln.com/archives/savannah/newsstand/031800/stpat_tavern.html

Please enjoy what you find at Tondee’s Tavern, and let us know what you think.

Terry Oglesby, Adjutant

Last updated December 4, 2001

1. Some observations by Charlie McCulloh for the Newsletter of the 22nd Alabama about the general level of skill in the hobby. Although written for Civil War reenactors, the comments are actually pretty pertinent for anyone who wishes to do a better job. http://www.geocities.com/cw22al/page29.html

2. An excellent article by Mark Hubbs on converting the 1766 Charleville musket to the US Model of 1795. Again, another one of those articles that does not quite match our chosen time period, but a great resource in any event due to its exemplary research. http://model1795.homestead.com/model1795.html

3. Very interesting article by Mark for Naval History Magazine about the murder of US servicemen and construction workers on Wake Island during World War II. Not the Revolution, not Georgia, not reenacting but history at its most heart-rending.

http://www.usni.org/NavalHistory/articles01/nhhubbs.htm

4. My own thoughts from the first Rev War event I ever attended, the Battle of Camden.

5. Mark Lewis’ exchange on the GaRefugee mail list regarding tumpline construction.

6. Another article assembled from the mail list, mostly about leather, but with a few other good suggestions thrown in for good measure.

7. Yes, it’s another list-derived article! A very good discussion about clothing and dyeing, and the wearing of plush velvet breeches…

8. THE NEWBY FILE—A short set of tips for the new folk, written by a wet-behind-the-ears, shavetail, tenderfoot, rookie, FNG, fresh fish type of guy.

That’s all for now!