As Commodore McDonough faced the British fleet at the battle of Plattsburgh on September 11, 1814:
"There was now a hushed, expectant moment like the stillness which precedes the storm. Macdonough, whose manly courage was supported by a childlike faith, knelt on the deck of the flagship with his officers around him and repeated the following prayer: "Stir up Thy strength, O Lord, and come and help us, for Thou givest not always the battle to the strong, but canst save many or few....through Jesus Christ, our Lord."
The people of Henry County have always been noted for their moral and religious excellence. The Baptists and Methodists have been the main bodies of Christians. The County is home to the Shingleroof Methodist Campground where annual campmeetings have held since the 1830's. The campground was used as a training ground for Confederate forces during the Civil War.
Famous individuals from Henry County include James Weldon Johnson, founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Martin Luther King, Sr., who was born and raised on a farm near Stockbridge, and Congressional Medal of Honor winner Ray Davis of Stockbridge.
