Laura Wright 
A massive white oak once stood outside New Holland, Georgia. It sat on the edge of the swamp and remained relatively isolated for several centuries. The old oak tree was a strange place that was haunted by the ghosts of twelve murdered men. Legends said that decades after the crime occurred, those who passed the old tree still heard the doomed men’s pleas for life and cries for mercy. Sobs, the rattle of chains, and groans of agony were all that remained of the tragedy that occurred there.
The story of Benjamin and Robert Jordan has essentially been lost to time, and if Howard Thompson hadn’t offered the legend to a reporter over a century ago, it would remain so. Thompson was 10-years-old when the Jordans took their vengeance out on the region. He was an elderly man by the time his words were recorded.
Origins
Bob and Ben Jordan were originally cousins from Pickens County. They enlisted and fought during the Civil War as so many young men did. From all known information, they were just as law-abiding as their neighbors were. Unfortunately, that was about to change. It was a new world by the time the boys returned home, but perhaps the worst changes happened during their absence.
While they were away in battle, a group of merciless barbarians targeted Bob’s home. No one ever established whether they were bushwhackers, deserters, or guerilla Union soldiers. When the Jordans returned, they discovered both Bob’s sister and wife had been brutally raped. As if that weren’t enough, the same group had taken Bob’s 70-year-old father. He was tortured and dragged for 60 miles until little remained of his corpse.
This was the breaking point for Bob and Ben. Suddenly, all deserters, bushwhackers, and drifters were subject to their fury. They became recruiting officers, but it was suspected they volunteered as a way to unleash vengeance.
The Crimes
The two men arrested 26 men in Gilmer County alone. Two escaped on the way to the Gainesville jail, but the Jordans didn’t pursue them. They incarcerated the remaining 24., Twelve were selected from the group the following morning. They were chained together and marched to the ancient white oak outside town. They were made to assume a firing squad position.
Bob Jordan picked off one man at a time with a pistol. Several men fell to their knees in prayer, several begged for their lives, but their pleas weren’t heard. Among the group of suspected culprits was a frail 15-year-old boy. A large man beside him had to help him stand. The bodies were all burned after they were shot and buried in a shallow grave near the tree.
This was not the end for the Jordans. Bob kept a diary of men he killed, which listed both the names and the dates they were shot. As his crimes and infamy grew, the authorities took interest and began pursuit. He happened to drop the book while fleeing the police. It contained over 125 names. After this, it was said he didn’t document his crimes any further.
Their activities eventually completely from vengeance to continuous flight from law enforcement. The men separated to avoid capture. A frail man eventually shot Bob Jordan in Florida. Ben Jordan was stabbed to death in Texas.
The Federal authorities heard of the murder at the old oak tree and had the mass grave exhumed. They took the bodies to the National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee, known today as the Chattanooga National Cemetery.
