“Postal officials say that before Christmas they receive tons of letters written to Santa Claus, but after Christmas how few letters of thanks are sent to him! From childhood onward, human beings seem to be characterized by thanklessness. “ 

—General Robert E. Lee    

The Sorrel-Weed House 

Commissioned in 1835, popular Georgian architect Charles Cluskey completed the Sorrel-Weed House in 1840. The house is located on the northern-side of the lovely Madison Square.  

Francis Sorrel was one of the wealthiest Savannahians of his day; an accomplished man born half-Haitian and half-French who built his fortune in the shipping business. 

The 16,000 square-foot mansion is one of the largest homes in the Historic District of Savannah and was designed in the classic Greek Revival and Regency architectural styles that had become prominent in parts of the United States during that time-period. In 1954, this beautiful home was one of the first in Georgia to be made a State Landmark. 

And if you remember the opening of the film Forest Gump, the scene in which the floating feather blows through the skyline of Savannah was filmed from the rooftop of the Sorrel-Weed House; following the feather, the camera pans a long view over the rooftops of the buildings and homes of downtown Savannah and through the amazing trees and landmarks of Madison Square. 

The house was the boyhood home of Francis Sorrel’s son, Gilbert Moxley Sorrel, who would leave his job as a clerk in a local bank and go on to become the youngest general — at age 26 — who served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.  

Francis Sorrel had been a close friend with Robert E. Lee since the 1830s. His son, Moxley, would serve James Longstreet as a valued staff officer throughout most of the Civil War.  

General James Longstreet, of course, was known as Robert E. Lee’s ‘War Horse’ and participated in nearly every major battle fought in the East during the terrible conflict. Moxley Sorrel was wounded in battle three separate times. 

After the war, G. Moxley Sorrel would pen his memoir: Reflections of a Confederate Staff Officer, which places the reader in the thick of the heaviest action of the war. It has been said that Shelby Foote’s masterful Civil War series of books (popularized by the Ken Burns’ PBS documentary-series) drew heavily on Sorrel’s character assessments of the leading generals of the Confederacy. 

Like many other houses in Savannah, the Sorrel-Weed House has a reputation for being haunted and for its ‘active paranormal’ activity. You can decide for yourself by attending its late-night haunted tour! 

In 1859, prominent Savannah businessman, Henry D. Weed, purchased the home from the Sorrels. Members of the Weed family lived in the home throughout the next 65-years. 

I painted this on an unusually cold day in February. Yet, while I was freezing, the house radiated in warm glowing orange reflections; and my surprise in the beautiful blooming azaleas made me very happy. Fate led me to Savannah over a decade ago, and I couldn’t be more thankful for my good fortune.