1. Notes

2. References

William Longstreet ({{circa}}1760 New Jersey - 1814 Georgia) was an inventor. He made a steamboat and improved the cotton gin.

Born in Allentown NJ as a boy, he moved to Augusta, Georgia. As early as 26 September 1790, he addressed a letter to Thomas Telfair, then governor of Georgia, asking his assistance, or that of the legislature, in raising funds to enable him to construct a boat to be propelled by the new power. This was three years before Robert Fulton's letter to the Earl of Stanhope announcing his theory “respecting the moving of ships by the means of steam.” Failing to obtain public aid at that time, Longstreet's invention remained for several years in abeyance until, at last securing funds from private sources, he was enabled to launch a boat on Savannah River, which moved against the current at the rate of five miles an hour. This was in 1807, a few days after Fulton had made a similarly successful experiment on the Hudson River.^[1]

Besides this invention, Longstreet patented a valuable improvement in cotton gins, called the “breast roller,” moved by horse power, which entirely superseded the old method.^[2] He set up two of his gins in Augusta, which were propelled by steam and worked admirably; but they were destroyed by fire within a week. He next erected a set of steam mills near St. Mary's, Georgia, which were destroyed by the British in 1812. These disasters exhausted his resources and discouraged his enterprise, though he was confident that steam would soon supersede all other motive powers.

He was the father of Southern author Augustus Baldwin Longstreet and grandfather of Confederate General James Longstreet.

Notes

• {{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Longstreet, William|year=1900}}

References

• Georgia State Route 204 Spur (Savannah)
• Georgia State Route 204 Spur (Skidaway Island)
• Georgia State Route 206
• Georgia State Route 206 Connector
• Georgia State Route 206 Connector (Douglas)
• Georgia State Route 20 Spur (Cartersville)
• Georgia State Route 216
• Georgia State Route 219
• Georgia State Route 21 Business (Sylvania)
• Georgia State Route 21 Spur (Garden City)
• Georgia State Route 21 Spur (Springfield)
• Georgia State Route 220
• Georgia State Route 223
• Georgia State Route 224
• Georgia State Route 227
• Georgia State Route 228
• Georgia State Route 22 Connector (Columbus)
• Georgia State Route 22 Spur (Columbus)
• Georgia State Route 230
• Georgia State Route 23 Spur (Twin City)
• Georgia State Route 247 Connector (Warner Robins)
• Georgia State Route 247 Spur (Perry)
• Georgia State Route 24 Business (Eatonton)
• Georgia State Route 24 Business (Watkinsville)
• Georgia State Route 24 Bypass