SCRA has numerous awards our members and supporters can earn. For May, the month of the Military Spouse, we want to highlight the Wahatchee Awards. The Silver and Bronze Wahatchee Awards (Cherokee meaning “War Woman) are named for Georgia patriot Nancy Hart; here is her story.
Hart was the epitome of the Warrior ethos. She was born in North Carolina around 1735. She is believed to be related to pioneer Daniel Boone, Revolutionary War General Daniel Morgan and, by marriage, to Senators Henry Clay and Thomas Hart Benton. Her physical appearance was both dramatic and imposing: She was six feet tall, had red hair and freckles and cross-eyed with smallpox facial scars. She was a hard swearer and a sharpshooter who could shoot better than most men.
Nancy married Benjamin Hart, the couple migrated first to South Carolina and then to the Georgia back country where they settled along the banks of the Broad River in Wilkes County in 1771. A mother of eight children, Nancy’s knowledge of frontier medicine made her a sought-after doctor and midwife. During the years of the Revolutionary War, most women and children relocated for safety. Nancy chose to remain with her husband. One story tells of five or six Tories appeared and demanded that Nancy prepare a meal for them. While preparing the meal she managed to seize the men’s rifles. When the men attempted to reclaim their rifles, she killed one man and quickly picked up a second gun and wounded another. Her husband and a few neighbors suggested shooting the remaining captives but Nancy said that shooting was too good for Tories. The captives were taken to the woods and hanged. In 1912 a gang of workers grading a railroad bed about half a mile from the site of the Hart cabin discovered what may have been the remains of the hapless fellows when they dug up six skeletons.
Nancy also spied for the local militia, boldly entering the British camp disguised as a man to get information that helped General Elijah Clarke win the Battle of Kettle Creek. According to one account, to get the location of an enemy camp in Carolina for Georgia troops, Nancy crossed and then re-crossed the Savannah River on a raft made of four logs tied together with grapevines. Another famous story tells of her response to being spied on while she was boiling lye soap in her cabin: when she caught sight of a Tory peering through the chinks in the cabin wall, she threw the soap through the holes, blinding him. Nancy’s boldness was well-known to her neighbors. Even the leaders of the Cherokee Nations knew of her exploits her and gave her the name of “Wahatchee”—or War Woman. Additionally, they named a creek after her.
After the Revolution, Nancy then moved to Clarke County, Georgia, and finally to Kentucky, where she died in 1830. It was courage, steadfastness and a pioneering spirit such as Nancy’s that helped turn a raw wilderness into a livable country. It is this same type of resolve and dedication to Country and Family that we recognize with the Wahatchee awards.
SCRA presents the Wahatchee awards to people who exemplify the volunteer spirit and have given long-term service to improve the Signal Corps community. The Bronze Wahatchee is awarded to individuals who have significantly contributed as a volunteer to the improvement of the Signal Corps community. This award is not intended for members of the Signal Regiment. This award is meant to recognize Spouses, Family members, or any other volunteer who is not eligible to join SCRA.
The major difference between the Bronze Wahatchee (BW) and the Silver Wahatchee (SW) is the level of participation. The BW awardees provide services that positively impact the Regimental community. The SW awardees help provide the policies, direction, and necessary resources to influence the services to positively impact the Regimental communities. If awarded to an SCRA spouse, the awards are not based on the rank of the SCRA member. LTCs in command can approve the BW while the National Board approves the SW award.
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