DAR welcomes Col. Daniel Appling sword home
From Staff Reports
news@newnan.com
The General Daniel Newnan Daughters of the American Revolution chapter was part of a welcoming home ceremony for the historic sword meant for 1812 hero Lt. Col. Daniel Appling but never delivered because of his untimely death at the age 30.
The sword was made to honor Appling’s exemplary service to America in several battles of the War of 1812. After the war, Appling settled in Georgia, but died shortly thereafter and before the sword could be awarded to him. Years passed and the sword found a home in Milledgeville. The state loaned it out for inclusion in Georgia’s 1907 exhibit at the 300th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, but then it vanished. An article and picture in Antiques magazine brought the sword to the attention of a Georgian.
“A timetable was part of the bargain and down to the wire in early December, many were praying and looking for those extra dollars that would bring the sword back to Georgia,” according to Susan Lemesis, co-chair of the committee to return the sword to Georgia. By Dec. 31, 2011, the money was in hand, followed by a trip to Charlotte, N.C., by Dianne Cannestra, president of the Friends of Georgia Archives, and Lemesis, to make a parking lot exchange — money for sword. All legal but a bit unconventional, according to Lemesis.
In remarks at the Oct. 15 sword presentation at the Georgia Capitol rotunda, Lemesis said “90 percent of the funds came from donors who gave $100 or less,” truly a grass-roots effort to bring this legacy home.
Governor Nathan Deal gratefully accepted the ornate Appling Sword at a presentation ceremony in the rotunda. The Appling Sword will reside permanently in a specially made case at the Hall of Heroes at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta.
The General Daniel Newnan Chapter meets monthly on the third Saturday and welcomes guests and prospective members. For meeting and membership information please call Jeannine Jackson, membership chairperson, 770-253-6517; or Chapter Regent Audrey Knight, 770-251-4672.
