It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kettle Creek (Georgia). (Discuss)

The Battle of Kettle Creek is one of the most important battles of the American Revolutionary War to be fought in Georgia. The battle was fought on February 14, 1779, in Wilkes County about eight miles (13 km) from present day Washington, Georgia. The victory by the American Patriots virtually ended the movement to remain loyal to the Kingdom of Britain. Image File history File links Merge-arrows. ... Kettle Creek was an American Revolutionary War battle site, and the only battle in Georgia which was clearly a Patriot (Whig) victory against British Loyalists (Tories). ... This article is about military actions only. ... is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Washington is a city located in Wilkes County, Georgia. ... [[ This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Lebanese Kataeb militia A Militia is an army composed of ordinary [1] citizens to provide defense, emergency or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ... This article concerns Patriots in the American Revolutionary War. ... Andrew Pickens (September 13, 1739–August 11, 1817) was a militia leader in the Revolution and a U.S. Congressman from South Carolina. ... Colonel John Dooly (1740 – 1780), born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, was an American Revolutionary war hero. ... Elijah Clarke (1742 – December 5, 1799), born in Anson County, North Carolina, was a Georgian hero of the American Revolutionary War. ... The Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War became the central area of operations on land after France entered the war on the side of the United States. ... Drawing of the octagonal Williamsburg Magazine The Gunpowder Incident (also known as the Gunpowder Affair) was a conflict early in the American Revolutionary War between Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of colonial Virginia, and militia led by Patrick Henry. ... Combatants Patriot militia British militia Commanders William Woodford Lord Dunmore Strength 8,845 7,500 Casualties Americans: 20 killed, 56 wounded French: 52 killed, 134 wounded 156 killed 326 wounded 7,018 captured The Battle of Great Bridge was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought in the area... Combatants Patriot militia Loyalist militia Commanders Caswell, Lillington McLeod Strength 1,000 1,500 Casualties 1 killed, 1 wounded 30 killed or wounded, 850 captured The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge was fought near Wilmington, North Carolina, on February 27, 1776, between North Carolina patriots and Scottish Loyalists. ... The Battle of the Rice Boats was a battle of the American Revolution that took place in the Savannah River on the border between the Province of Georgia and the Province of South Carolina. ... The Battle of Alligator Bridge took place on June 30, 1778, and was the major engagement in Colonel Elijah Clarks third, and final, unsuccessful campaign to conquer East Florida. ... Combatants Patriot militia Loyalist militia Commanders John Ashe Samuel Elbert Archibald Campbell Augustine Provost Strength ~400 2,300 Casualties ~400 killed, Elbert captured 5 killed The Battle of Briar Creek was a Revolutionary War battle that took place on March 3, 1779. ... Combatants United States Britain Commanders Benjamin Lincoln John Maitland Strength 1500 900 Casualties around 300 (dead/missing) 150 The Battle of Stono Ferry was a poorly planned and badly conducted operation during the American Revolutionary War; it took place on June 20, 1779. ... Combatants United States France Kingdom of Great Britain Commanders General Benjamin Lincoln Admiral Comte dEstaing Count Kazimierz Pulaski † General Augustin Prevost Strength 1,550 American troops; 3,500 French troops and sailors 3,200 troops Casualties Total Allied: 800 killed 1200 wounded 40 killed 63 wounded The Siege of... Combatants Britain 17th Lancers{then called Dragoons} British Legion (1778) United States 3rd Virginia Detachment composed of 2nd and 7th Virginia Regiments Commanders Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton Colonel Abraham Buford Strength 270 400 Casualties 5 killed 12 wounded {11 horses killed 19 horses wounded} 113 killed 150 wounded and paroled... Combatants Kingdom of Great Britain United States Commanders Sir Henry Clinton and Mariot Arbuthnot Benjamin Lincoln Strength 14,000 troops 5,000 troops Casualties 76 killed, 182 wounded 92 killed, 148 wounded, 4,650 captured (see Trivia below) The Siege of Charleston was one of the major battles which took... Combatants Britain United States Commanders Charles Cornwallis Horatio Gates Johann de Kalb† Strength 2,239 3,052 Casualties 68 killed 245 wounded 64 missing 1,000 killed or wounded 1,000 captured 132 missing The Battle of Camden was an important battle in the Southern Theatre of the American Revolutionary... Combatants Patriot militia Loyalist militia Commanders William Campbell, John Sevier, Frederick Hambright, Joseph McDowell, Benjamin Cleveland, James Williams†, Isaac Shelby Patrick Ferguson† Strength 900 (+500 nearby) 1,100 (+200 nearby) Casualties 28 killed (including James Williams), 62 wounded 157 killed, 163 wounded, 698 captured (nine of the captured were later... Combatants United States Great Britain Commanders Daniel Morgan Banastre Tarleton Strength c. ... Combatants United States Britain Commanders Nathanael Greene Lord Cornwallis Strength 4,400 1,900 Casualties 79 killed 185 wounded 1,046 missing Total: 1,310 93 killed 413 wounded 26 missing Total: 532 The Battle of Guilford Court House was a battle fought on March 15, 1781 inside the present... Combatants United States Britain Commanders Nathaniel Greene Lord Francis Rawdon Strength 1,551 900 Casualties 19 killed 115 wounded 38 killed 170 wounded 50 captured The Battle of Hobkirks Hill was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on April 25, 1781. ... Battle of Green Spring took place at Green Spring Plantation in James City County, Virginia during the American Revolutionary War. ... The Battle of Eutaw Springs was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, the last engagement of the war in the Carolinas. ... Combatants France United States Great Britain German mercenaries Commanders Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau François de Grasse Gilbert de La Fayette George Washington Nathanael Greene Charles Cornwallis # Charles O’Hara # Banastre Tarleton # (stationed at Gloucester, Virginia) Strength 10,800 French, 8,845 Americans 7,500 Casualties 62 dead 190 wounded... This article is about military actions only. ... Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Wilkes County is a county located in the state of Georgia. ... Washington is a city located in Wilkes County, Georgia. ... This article concerns Patriots in the American Revolutionary War. ... The united Kingdom of Great Britain was created by the merger of the Kingdoms of Scotland and England in 1707 (see Act of Union 1707). ...

Background

In 1778, a British expeditionary force under Major General Henry Clinton captured the city of Savannah, Georgia, marking the beginning of a shift in the British strategy during the American Revolution. From that point on, the major battles of the American Revolution occurred south of the Potomac River. Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... General Sir Henry Clinton K.B. Commander-in-Chief of British troops in America. ... This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedias quality standards. ... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen... The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ...

The British motivation for taking the war to the South was the belief that a large population of this area was Loyalist or Tory. One of the men sent to recruit a Loyalist army was James Boyd of Raeburn Creek, South Carolina.^[1] Boyd arrived in Savannah with the initial British invasion force with a commission of colonel to recruit Loyalists in the colony of Georgia.^[1] On January 20, 1779, Boyd left British-held Savannah and reached Wrightsborough, Georgia, four days later. Wrightsborough was deep in the Georgian backcountry and established a base of operations near present-day Spartanburg, South Carolina.^[1] [[ This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Spartanburg is the largest city and the county seat of Spartanburg CountyGR6 in South Carolina, and is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina. ...

Boyd was able to recruit about 350 Loyalists in Augusta, Georgia, and marched them towards Savannah. Sometime during the march, Boyd’s men were joined by 250 Loyalists from North Carolina under Colonel John Moore.^[1] James Boyd took command of the entire Loyalist force with a Major Spurgeon as second in command.^[2] Nickname: Motto: We feel Good Location of the consolidated areas of Augusta and Richmond County in the state of Georgia. ... A map of the Province of Carolina. ...

Unbeknownst to the Loyalists, a Patriot force made up of 340 militiamen from Georgia and South Carolina was awaiting, commanded jointly by Colonel Andrew Pickens of South Carolina and Colonel John Dooly and Lieutenant Colonel Elijah Clarke of Georgia.^[2] Andrew Pickens (September 13, 1739–August 11, 1817) was a militia leader in the Revolution and a U.S. Congressman from South Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude... Colonel John Dooly (1740 – 1780), born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, was an American Revolutionary war hero. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... Elijah Clarke (1742 – December 5, 1799), born in Anson County, North Carolina, was a Georgian hero of the American Revolutionary War. ...

Battle

On February 14, 1779, the Loyalists under Boyd were camped near Kettle Creek in Georgia. Boyd sent about 150 men to forage for food while the remainder of his force camped on a hill.^[2] The hill was a fairly defensible position with swamps on either side. The Patriot plan was simple enough: Pickens would lead an assault directly up the hill while Dooly and Clarke would lead separate but simultaneous assaults on the right and left flanks. ^[1] is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The Patriot commanders hoped for a surprise attack, but Pickens’ advance guard surprised Loyalist sentries. Both sides exchanged fire and the surprise attack was blown. Pickens was now committed to the attack and continued to advance. Boyd rallied his men and took positions behind rocks and fallen trees. From these positions, Boyd’s men were able to slow down the Patriot’s attack. Dooly’s and Clarke’s men got bogged down in the swamps and were delayed in reaching attack position.^{[1] [2]}

The battle raged for about three hours.^[3] Colonel Boyd’s Loyalists withdrew towards their camp when a party of Georgia militiamen met them. Shots were fired. Boyd fell mortally wounded, and Major Spurgen assumed command of the Loyalists. Major William Spurgeon managed to get 450 men over Kettle Creek and led them away from the field.^{[1] [2]} A militia is a group of citizens organized to provide paramilitary service. ...

Aftermath

Loyalist casualties were 19 to 70 killed, including Colonel Boyd, with 22 to 70 captured. Patriots lost between 7 and 9 men, with 14 to 23 wounded.^[4] As a result, the Loyalist movement in Georgia was virtually over. The men who made it back to Savannah with Major Spurgeon were formed into two Loyalist units: the North Carolina Royal Regiment and the South Carolina Royal Regiment. The South Carolina Regiment later changed its name to the South Carolina Royalists Regiment. ^{[1] [2]} A map of the Province of Carolina. ...

Notes

is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Butler, L. J. “Battle of Kettle Creek.” <http://www.mindspring.com/~butlerlj/genehome/military/kettleCreek.html> (7 May 2006).
• Cobb, Hubbard. American Battlefields. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillian Company, 1995.
• Davis, Robert Scott Jr. “Battle of Kettle Creek.” 8 December 2003. <http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1088> (7 May 2006).
• Golden Ink. “Battle of Kettle Creek.” <http://www.ngeorgia.com/revolution/amrev11a.html> (7 May 2006).

External links

• Battle of Kettle Creek (offered by Georgia Society, Sons of the American Revolution)
• Battle of Kettle Creek Marker