a nephew of Frederick the Great. He rendered conspicuous services during the Napoleonic War, but was captured at Prenzlau and sent to France, where he was detained as a prisoner of war for 13 months. He fought in the battles of Dresden, Kulm, Leipzig, Montmirail, and Paris, and his famous brigade repeatedly decided the victory. As commander of an army corps, he captured most of the important fortresses on the northern frontier of France in 1815. He is said to have been deeply enamored of Mme. Récamier, whom he had met during his captivity in France at the house of Mme. de Staël, and whom he would have married but for political and religious reasons.
AUGUST WILHELM, vĭl′hĕlm. Prince of Prussia (1722-58). Founder of the present reigning line of the Hohenzollerns. He was born in Berlin, the second son of King Frederick William I., and a brother of Frederick the Great. Although a man of winning personality, he lacked the independence and decision of character of his elder brother. Appointed by Frederick (in 1757) commander of the Army of Kolin, he revealed such a lack of military ability in conducting the retreat from Bohemia that he was deprived of his command, whereupon he retired permanently to his castle at Oranienburg. The accusation brought by him against Frederick in the well-known Relation über den Feldzug von 1757, which at first proved so damaging to the reputation of the great commander, was disproved by the publication in 1887 of the Politische Korrespondenz Friedrichs des Grossen. As Frederick died without issue, he was succeeded by the son of August Wilhelm, who assumed the title of Frederick William II.
AUGUS′TA. See Agosta.
AUGUSTA. A city, and the county-seat of Richmond County, Ga., on the Savannah River, at the head of navigation, 231 miles from its mouth; latitude 33° 28′ north, longitude 81° 54′ west; 132 miles by rail northwest of Savannah; on several railroads, among them the Central of Georgia, the Charleston and West Carolina, the Georgia, the South Carolina and Georgia, and the Southern (Map: Georgia, E 2). The Augusta Canal, 9 miles long and 150 feet wide, starting above the city from a dam, furnishes the water supply, which is under municipal operation, and 14,000 horse-power for manufactures. Augusta is 150 feet above the sea, has a climate like that of Aiken, S. C., only 17 miles distant, somewhat cooler than Savannah, and an even temperature and dry air. It is an increasingly popular health resort. The city is finely laid out, with broad, beautifully shaded streets, intersecting at right angles. There are several parks,—one of them, May Park, containing 10¾ acres,—besides 25 squares, and outside the city are the cemetery and fairgrounds, attractively laid out. Summerville, on the Sand Hills, overlooking the city, and 400 feet above sea-level, is a suburb of handsome villas and cottages, and a well-known health resort. Augusta has a public library of 10,000 volumes; two handsome monuments—one erected in 1849 to the Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence, the other to the Confederate soldiers; a Masonic Temple, Odd Fellows' Hall, and Cotton Exchange, besides many other notable private and public buildings. The chief educational institutions are the Georgia Medical College, a branch of the State University at Athens, Richmond Academy, Saint Mary's and Sacred Heart academies, Paine's Institute for Colored Students, and high schools for white and colored pupils. Among charitable institutions are the Orphan Asylum, Louise King Home, and hospitals for white and colored patients.
Augusta is one of the largest cotton markets in the South, and has important manufactures of cotton goods; iron foundries, sash, door, and blind factories, and other wood-working industries. Its lumber trade, and shipping of fruits and vegetables are extensive.
Under the charter of 1798, as revised in 1882, Augusta is governed by a mayor, elected for 3 years, and a city council, composed of the mayor and 15 councilmen, 3 from each ward, for a term of 3 years, one-third being elected each year. The mayor appoints the superintendents of canal and water-works, and of streets and drains; other offices, excepting the board of education, which is elected by the people, are in the hands of the council. Population, in 1860, 12,493; in 1880, 21,891; in 1890, 33,300; in 1900, 39,441. Founded under a charter by Oglethorpe in 1736, and named in honor of an English princess, Augusta was in its early years the most important trading station and one of the most important military posts in Georgia. Many notable conferences were held here with the Cherokees, Creeks, and Choctaws, large tracts of territory being secured at those of 1763 and 1773. Late in January, 1779, it was captured by the British and held for a month. In May, 1780, it was again captured, and was occupied by British and Loyalists until June 5, 1781, when, after a protracted siege, it was surrendered to Gen. Andrew Pickens and Col. Henry Lee. In 1778 it served as the capital, and though the legislature was frequently forced to meet elsewhere, it continued to be the nominal seat of government until 1798. It was incorporated as a town in 1798, and in 1817 was chartered as a city. Consult Jones and Dutcher, Memorial History of Augusta (Syracuse, N. Y., 1890).
AUGUSTA. The capital of Maine, and the county-seat of Kennebec County. It is situated mainly on the west bank of the Kennebec River, 45 miles from its mouth, 74 miles southwest of Bangor, and 170 miles from Boston (Map: Maine, D 7). Augusta is on the Maine Central Railroad, and has connection by steamer with Portland, Boston, and other important cities. It has excellent water-power, the Kennebec Dam, 17 feet high and nearly 600 feet long, being but a half-mile above the city. The most extensive products are lumber, cotton goods, pulp, and paper. Augusta is built on ground rising considerably above the river-level, and contains several imposing buildings—the State House, built of granite, and affording a beautiful view from its dome: the City Hall, Post-office, State Insane Asylum, and United States Arsenal. The city has also a soldiers' monument and two libraries—the Lithgow Library (public), of 8000 volumes, and the State Library, of 60,000 volumes, located in the Capitol. The administration is vested in a mayor and a bicameral city council, with the usual subordinate officials. Population, in 1880, 8665; in 1890, 10,527; in
