Battle of Bloody Marsh: An Oglethorpe Tradition Continues

Photo credit: Que Newbill

We here at the OU Blog got to document Battle of the Bloody Marsh, the traditional faculty/staff v. students tug of war battle, in the fall of 2010. The students put up a tough fight, but that year, the faculty was the victor. After only seconds of pulling, the students looked to be carrying over their win from the previous year; only to be overcome by the faculty/staff, who edged out their opponents just as the deciding marker approached the bounds.

“I was very pleased with the turn-out,” said Josh Durbin, former residence life coordinator for student activities.  “We even had a board member [Dr. William Shropshire] participate.”

The Battle of Bloody Marsh has been held on the quad for more than 15 years to commemorate a significant day for Oglethorpe’s namesake. Founded deep in Georgia’s earliest history, the real Battle of Bloody Marsh occurred in July 1742.  The battle took place during a Spanish invasion of present-day Georgia and St. Simons Island.  General James Oglethorpe led the British troops to victory in the battle for control over the road between two British forts on coastal St. Simons Island. The Province of Georgia later claimed the island.

 

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