The Frederica Naval Engagement was a small naval battle during the American Revolutionary War in which three galleys of the Georgia Navy defeated a British raiding party off the coast of Georgia. The action occurred on April 19, 1778. Combatants American Revolutionaries, France, The Netherlands, Spain, American Indians Great Britain, German mercenaries, Loyalists, American Indians Commanders George Washington, Comte de Rochambeau, Nathanael Greene, Bernardo de Gálvez Sir William Howe, Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Cornwallis (more commanders) The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... St. ... Samuel Elbert (1740– November 11, 1788) was an American merchant from Savannah, Georgia. ... Thomas Jordan (September 30, 1819 – November 27, 1895), born in Luray Valley, Virginia, was a Confederate spy in the American Civil 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 Caldwell, Lillington Donald 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 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. ... The Battle of Kettle Creek took place on February 14, 1779 in the extreme western portion of Wilkes County, Georgia on Kettle Creek which used to drain into the Little River (the creek has since dried up). ... 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. ... hi The Siege of Savannah was a battle of the American Revolutionary War in 1779. ... This article needs cleanup. ... 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 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 hanged for... Combatants United hyStates Great Britain Commanders Daniel Morgan Banastre Tarleton Strength 1,000 1,100 Casualties 12 killed 61 wounded 110 killed 229 wounded 525 captured The Battle of Cowpens was fought on January 17, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War and was an overwhelming victory by American revolutionary forces... 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. ... The Battle of Eutaw Springs was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, the last engagement of the war in the Carolinas. ... Combatants United States France Great Britain German mercenaries Commanders George Washington Comte de Rochambeau Lord Cornwallis Charles O’Hara Banastre Tarleton {Stationed at Gloucester, Virginia} Strength 10,800 French 8,845 Americans 7,500 Casualties 62 dead 190 wounded[2] 156 killed 326 wounded 7,018 captured[1] The Siege... The multinational Combined Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150) The British Grand Fleet, the supreme naval force of World War I A rare occurrence of a 5-country multinational fleet, during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Oman Sea. ... Combatants American Revolutionaries, France, The Netherlands, Spain, American Indians Great Britain, German mercenaries, Loyalists, American Indians Commanders George Washington, Comte de Rochambeau, Nathanael Greene, Bernardo de Gálvez Sir William Howe, Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Cornwallis (more commanders) The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War... A French galley and Dutch men-of-war off a port by Abraham Willaerts, painted 17th century. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Background

Samuel Elbert

The state of Georgia had twice attempted, without success, to invade the British colony of East Florida. In 1778 a third attempt was launched, to be headed by Colonel Samuel Elbert. The catalyst for the invasion was the discovery, in April of that year, that several ships of the Royal Navy were sailing in St. Simons Sound. Two of these, the sloop Rebecca and the watering brig Hatter, were private vessels under contract to the Navy; the other two, the frigate HMS Galatea and brigantine HMS Hinchinbrook, were official Navy ships. Image File history File links SamuelElbert. ... Image File history File links SamuelElbert. ... Map of East and West Florida in 1810. ... Samuel Elbert (1740– November 11, 1788) was an American merchant from Savannah, Georgia. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... St. ... A sloop-rigged J-24 sailboat In sailing, a sloop is a vessel with a Fore-and-aft rig. ... The Brig Lady Washington For other uses, see Brig (disambiguation). ... For the bird, see Frigatebird. ... HMS Galatea, after the Galatea of mythology, has been the name of eight ships in the British Royal Navy. ... Description In sailing, a brigantine is a vessel with two masts, at least one of which is square rigged. ...

For defense, Elbert had the galleys of the Georgia Navy to rely on; four of these, the Washington, Lee, Congress, and Bulloch, had been underwritten by the Continental Congress and constructed in Savannah between 1776 and 1777. All four were under the command of Commodore Oliver Bowen. The Continental Congress is the label given to two successive bodies of representatives of the inhabitants of the Thirteen Colonies in 18th century British North America: The First Continental Congress met from September 5, 1774, to October 26, 1774. ... Nickname: Coordinates: County Chatham Mayor Otis S. Johnson Area    - City 202. ...

Buildup to the battle

On April 15 Elbert received word that the Royal Navy had been spotted of of the coast, and detailed around 360 men of the Georgia Continental battalions of Fort Howe to march to Darien; from here they were to embark upon three of the galleys, Washington, Bulloch, and Lee. The first was led by Captain John Hardee, the second by Captain John Cutler Braddock, and the third by Captain Archibald Hatcher. Fort Howe is the site of an 18th and 19th century British Army fortification built in present-day New Brunswick at the mouth of the St. ... Darien is a city located in McIntosh County, Georgia. ...

By the middle of the afternoon on April 18, the flotilla had entered the Frederica River and anchored at Pikes Bluff, close to a mile and a half above Fort Frederica. Troops under Colonel Robert Rae and Major Daniel Roberts were the first to land, followed, under Elbert's orders, by Captain George Young and the artillery detachment. They set up the field piece on the island. Officers were chosen to command troops on the galleys. Colonel John White was assigned to Lee, Captain George Melvin to Washington, and Lieutenant Barnard Patty to Bulloch. Elbert ordered Rae to take 100 of his men and march them to the fort, where British prisoners were taken. Some of the men in the scouting party which had been landed escaped by boat, taking word to the Galatea to alert Captain Thomas Jordan to the imminent American attack. Jordan responded by sending a ship loaded with soldiers to assist the Hinchinbrook and Rebecca. A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a flota of small ships, and this from French flotte), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. ... A stocked ships anchor. ... Fort Frederica National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service located on St. ... Historically, artillery (from French artillerie) refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... Thomas Jordan (September 30, 1819 – November 27, 1895), born in Luray Valley, Virginia, was a Confederate spy in the American Civil War. ...

Elbert received some intelligence regarding the two British ships; he decided, however, that it was too late in the evening to initiate an attack, and ordered his men to rest for the night.

Battle

Early on the morning of April 19, Elbert sailed the galleys down the river to attack the British ships, which were already ranged in their order of battle. The galleys likely initiated the attack shortly after first light, around 5:30 that morning, beginning their assault on the Hinchinbrook, Rebecca, and Hatter. By a stroke of remarkable luck, a strong ebb tide combined with the lack of wind to give the Americans the advantage; with no wind, the British ships were unable to sail forward to land men on the galleys, and were forced to remain stationary. Consequently, the galleys began by firing a few random shots at the British vessels before anchoring a safe distance away and beginning a heavy cannonade. An order of battle (often abbreviated as ORBAT, OOB, or OB) is an organizational tool used by military intelligence to list and analyze enemy military units. ... This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ...

Elbert's letter to General Howe was later published in several Southern newspapers

The Hinchinbrook and Rebecca carried four-pounders which were no match for the heavier ordinance on the galleys, so they began dropping downriver, hoping to find a place to manouver and possibly catch a breeze. The thought that the channel was deep, and sailed accordingly; however, at around 10 in the morning, the Rebecca suddenly became grounded at a place called "Raccoon Gut". The Hinchinbrook and Hatter soon suffered the same fate. As the galleys were drawing nearer, the British made the decision to abandon ship. Most of the officers and men crowded into the ship's boats and rowed downriver to the Galatea, which was still anchored in the Sound. A few of the Hinchinbrook's crew were left behind. Image File history File links ElbertLetter. ... Image File history File links ElbertLetter. ...

Aftermath

Although the battle was comparatively minor, it had a galvinizing effect on the people of Georgia, for it disabled two ships which had been capturing American merchant ships off of the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. More importantly, it helped to delay by over eight months a British attempt to capture Fort Morris and the town of Sunbury. At the same time, it demonstrated the effectiveness of galleys, when heavily armed, in confined waters. Cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship that carries goods and materials from one port to another. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson 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°430N to 35...

Elbert, for his part, was deeply impressed with the victory, writing to General Robert Howe that Robert Howe (1732-1785) was a Major General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. ...

...you must imagine what my feelings were, to see our three little men of war going on to the attack of these three vessels who have spread terror on our coast, and who were drawn up in order of battle; but the weight of our metal soon damped the courage of these heroes, who soon took to their boats: and, as many as could, abandoned the vessels with everything on board, of which we immediately took possession. What is extraordinary, we have not one man hurt...

Fresh from the victory at Frederica, Elbert would go on to lead the disastrous Third Florida Expedition later that year.

Reference

• http://www.marshesofglynnsar.org/Frederica_Incident.htm Account of the engagement]
• Brochure published by the Georgia Sons of the American Revolution