Christmas Moultrie (December 25, 1857 – April 23, 1956) was an American former slave who became a duck hunter and merchant. He was a central character in John Eugene Cay Jr.'s 1958 non-fiction book ''Ward Allen: Savannah River Market Hunter''. The book was the basis for the 2013 movie ''

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

''.

Early life and career

Moultrie was born on Christmas Day 1857 at

Mulberry Grove Plantation Mulberry Grove Plantation, located north of Port Wentworth, Chatham County, Savannah, was a rice plantation, notable as the location where Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin.The American Historical Review (New York, 1897), III, No. 1, 99 On ...

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, the last child born into slavery on the plantation. His mother died shortly after his birth. His family name came from the Moultrie family in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. In December 1864, his family moved a few miles away to Monteith, Georgia, after

General Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

's forces burned the plantation during his March to the Sea, but Moultrie remained at the plantation, as a free man, in a "raised cabin by the plantation gate near the Augusta highway." He formed a business hunting ducks in Savannah's

marshland In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...

with Ward Allen. They sold the ducks to local restaurants, including that of

The DeSoto The DeSoto is a historic hotel at 15 East Liberty Street on Madison Square in Savannah, Georgia, constructed in 1968. It is within the area of the Savannah Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Nove ...

, or Savannahian families. He also sold vegetables at City Market. Moultrie had one known child, Hardee, born in 1895; he died in 1935, aged 39 or 40. His granddaughter, Martha F. McCullough (born in 1927), became a teacher in Savannah. He had at least three other granddaughters: Mary F. Johnson, Georgia Benton and Della Stell. In 1927, the

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in Chatham and Effingham counties in Georgia and Jasper County in South Carolina. Of the total area, is in Georgia and is in South Carolina. The refuge was esta ...

introduced a law limiting the number of ducks that could be killed on one hunting trip, as well as having a hunting season. These restrictions affected Moultrie's and Allen's livelihood. Concerned about the future of Savannah's marshes, due to the increasing number of factories in the city, Allen regularly wrote articles in the local press. He went to the

Georgia State Legislature The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

with his concerns, but had no success in affecting change. Allen died on August 23, 1931, aged 75. His body was found floating in the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

Death and legacy

Moultrie died on April 23, 1956, in

Port Wentworth, Georgia Port Wentworth is a city in Chatham County, Georgia, United States. The 2020 population was 10,878, more than double the population of 5,359 at the 2010 census. Port Wentworth is part of the Savannah metropolitan area. History The Georgia Gener ...

. He was 98. He is interred in Port Wentworth's Cherokee Hill Baptist Churchyard. Moultrie's popularity grew with the release of the 2013 film ''Savannah'', which was based on John Eugene Cay Jr.'s 1958 non-fiction book '' Ward Allen: Savannah River Market Hunter''.

Chiwetel Ejiofor Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emm ...

portrayed Moultrie in the movie adaptation. In 2008, the Moultrie Interchange at

Georgia State Route 21 State Route 21 (SR 21) is an state highway that travels southeast-to-northwest through portions of Chatham, Effingham, Screven, and Jenkins counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway connects the Savann ...

and

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

was named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moultrie, Christmas 1857 births 1956 deaths American businesspeople American naturalists 19th-century American slaves American former slaves People from Savannah, Georgia