Britain Attacks Georgia
On March 8, 1778 Sir Henry Clinton was put in charge
of British troops in the United States. In the same letter, the
council of war outlined a "Southern Strategy." General
Augustine Prevost, military commander of British East Florida headquartered
in St. Augustine, communicated to his new commander that the winter
would be the best time to make a move into Georgia, so while Thomas
Brown had been turning back the Third Florida Expedition, the British
Regulars in East Florida were preparing to invade Georgia.
Prevost chose to advance as two units, under two
independent commanders. Lt. Colonel L. V. Fuser would move north
along the coast while Augustine's brother, Lt. Colonel Mark Prevost
moved a few miles inland. This made their resupply by ship an easy
task. As Prevost moved north he would be joined by Fuser, who would
make a direct assault on Sunbury and Fort Morris. They expected
to meet a contingent of troops reassigned to the Southern front
from New York City. As Prevost moved north, along the King's Road,
the infantry's advance was impeded by a series of skirmishes with
what were small groups of plantation-based Patriots.
On November 22, 1778, about 1.5 miles south of Midway
(Liberty County), 100 Continentals under the command of Colonel
John White and Major James Jackson met the 700 seasoned British
troops under Prevost. Both White and Jackson realized they had virtually
no chance of defeating the superior force, but they might be able
to delay the British advance until relief could arrive from Savannah.
When Colonel James Screven did appear he had but 20 militia with
him. During the battle Screven received serious wounds and was captured
by the British. Screven died while a prisoner of war. Col. White
withdrew to a previously prepared defensive line around Midway Church.
As the British advanced White prepared a ruse to
scare Prevost. He composed a battle plan that called for a combined
force of Continentals and militia from Savannah to join White's
embattled Regulars at the Ogeechee Ferry on the King's Road and
make a stand. As he retreated from Midway Church, White left the
letter in a conspicuous place. Whether it was the letter, or Prevost's
assessment of his position that made him pulled back may never be
known. Deep in enemy territory, Prevost had not been in contact
with Fuser, whose coastal force he depended on for supplies. Additionally,
Col. Prevost was aware that the anticipated arrival of the British
force had not occurred, and he knew that there would be additional
troops available the closer his position was to Savannah. After
consideration, Prevost withdrew.
On November 25, 1778, Col. Fuser finally made shore
at Sunbury. His force of 500 Regular British troops were opposed
by a force of about 200 Patriots at Fort Morris under the command
of John McIntosh. When Col. Fuser demanded the surrender of the
fort, McIntosh replied, "Come and take it." Fuser, reasoning
along the same lines as Prevost, decided the prudent action was
to withdraw. The first British invasion of Georgia was over.
Being a prisoner of war changed British Lt. Colonel
Archibald Campbell. He was deeply concerned for the men who had
been captured by the Patriots. He worked with the future President
of the United States in Congress Assembled Elias Boudinot to exchange
more prisoners after his exchange for American hero Ethan Allen.
When Henry Clinton accepted the plan of South Carolina Loyalist
Henry Kirkland to successfully occupy the southern colonies, he
put Col. Campbell in charge of a force of some 3,500 men who set
sail in September, 1778.
Campbell arrived at Tybee Island (after some serious
problems with weather) on December 23 and came ashore without any
resistance. After questioning two islanders, he surmised that the
force in Savannah could easily be defeated, even without the support
of his new commander, Augustine Prevost in British East Florida.
With the arrival of the final ship on December 27, Cambell was prepared
to take Savannah. He ordered his men to sail up the Savannah River
to a plantation landing, then began to advance on what was a poorly
formed perimeter.
General Howe had deployed his 670+ men in a semi-circle
facing west along the road east of Savannah. It was anchored on
the north by swamp speading south of the road on easily defended
rolling hills and looping back. Howe fortified his right (the southern
end of his defensive line) so Campbell decided to attack from the
north. According to Campbell, a group of Highlanders advanced along
a road through the swamp and came out behind the Patriot line. Howe's
left flank crumbled as British troops launched a broad-based attack
against the seriously weakened line.
Soon, the Patriots were fleeing from Campbell's
superior force. Escape was difficult because recent rains made crossing
streams difficult. Campbell occupied Savannah, then set out to capture
the other major towns in Georgia, specifically Ebenezer (January
2, 1779) and Augusta (January 30, 1779). Augusta was defended by
a group of Whig militia under the command of Samuel Elbert. Opposed
by Lt. Col. Thomas Brown, an Augusta Loyalist at the head of the
Florida Rangers and British Regulars under the command of Campbell,
Elbert's men engaged British forces in three firefights, McBean's
Creek, Spirit Creek and Cupboard Swamp, as the Patriots fell back
into Augusta. By this time Elbert realized he was facing a greatly
superior force and withdrew to the South Carolina side of the Savannah
River to join forces with Patriot Militia leader Andrew Williamson.
Augustine Prevost captured Fort Morris on January 10, 1779, after
a four day siege. With the help of the Creek Indians to the west,
most of Georgia was now under British control.
Next:Georgia Fights Back
Acts Of War
Georgia in 1763
Sugar Act; Stamp Act
Townshend Acts
The House dissolved
Radicals Gain Power
Georgia joins the Continental Congress
A Colony at War
A State and Union Formed
The First Florida Expedition
A Leader Dies
The Second Florida Expedition
The Third Florida Expedition
Britain Attacks Georgia
Georgia Fight Backs
The Siege and Battle of Savannah
There Comes a Reaper
The Liberation of Georgia
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