Battle Of Kettle Creek Facts And Summary For History Lovers

The National Register of Historic Places officially designated the Kettle Creek Battlefield.

The Battle of Kettle Creek reportedly took place on February 14, 1779, neighboring amid the American Revolution War, which thwarted British ambitions to regain Georgia. On May 5, 1865, following the culmination of the American Civil War, the Confederacy's final cabinet conference was arranged.

Wilkes County owns the majority of the said battleground. A historical investigation was done by the researcher Daniel Elliot from the Lamar Institute in 2008 revealed the actual place of the conflict.

It is located in Wilkes County, along Tyrone Road. The Kettle Creek Battlefield Association used individual donations and many other historical organizations to buy huge land in the battlefield region in 2013.

The American Battlefield Trust and its allies bought and protected more than the required land that had initially been spots on the battlefield in 2018. In January 2021, the National Park Service (NPS) designated the Kettle Creek Battlefield site among 'affiliated areas.'

Andrew Pickens was undoubtedly helped by the Georgia militia, which Colonel John Dooly and others led. Many researchers discussed the Battle of Kettle Creek map to buy the land to build the memorial.

Battle Of Kettle Creek Summary

British army planned to advance towards Augusta, Georgia, during starting months of 1779 following the seizure of Savannah in 1778.

Colonel James Boyd, a British Army officer from the region of South Carolina, was sent to Georgia under instructions to enlist southerners favorable towards the British interest (Loyalists) within the British army.

With his British forces, Boyd recruited about 600 Loyalists, then entered the region near Savannah River from what is now Elbert County to reinforce the British Army at Augusta.

During the Loyalists' advance across South Carolina into Georgia, fringe parties of rebel infantry tried unsuccessfully to stop them. Boyd and his soldiers slept near Kettle Creek near existing Wilkes County after the expedition.

Boyd reportedly meant to meet up alongside British troops farther upstream Kettle Creek, although he had no idea they had started arriving to retreat backward towards Savannah.

Simultaneously, 340 soldiers from South Carolina until Georgia had been pursuing Boyd for many occasions, led by Colonel Andrew Pickens in South Carolina with Colonel John Dooly, including Lieutenant Colonel Elijah Clarke from Georgia.

Dooly, Pickens, and Clarke intended to assault Boyd's soldiers quickly because there were chances that they could meet up with more assistance, thereby catching them off guard.

Pickens commanded the central core of soldiers, 200 soldiers, against Boyd's encampment near Kettle Creek on February 14, 1779.

Correspondingly, Clarke and Dooly assaulted both the right and left sides of the stream. Boyd got gravely injured amid the conflict.

Several Loyalists were frightened and started to withdraw once the leading commander was wounded. When Savannah succumbed to the British in the latter half of 1778, the Patriot triumph in Kettle Creek improved the morale of many fellow Patriots. The battle's outcome also hampered British efforts in Georgia to hire loyalists for their own main reason.

Who won the Battle of Kettle Creek?

The Patriot infantry, which was under the American forces, won the Battle of Kettle Creek against the British army of Boyd, which required them to cross the Savannah River.

In 1779, near Kettle Creek, Georgia, the Patriot military force with 340 men headed under the command of Colonel Andrew Pickens from South Carolina alongside Colonel John Dooly with Lieutenant Colonel Elijah Clarke of Georgia defeated a stronger group with 700 Loyalist infantry led by Colonel James Boyd.

The Battle of Kettle Creek became the biggest significant war fought in Georgia during the American Revolutionary War. The war of Battle Hill occurred on February 14, 1779, near this area.

The triumph of the American Patriot Army effectively brought a halt to the Georgians' desire to stay British subjects.

The flanking of the Patriots started to evolve out from marshes at this point when Boyd was severely injured. Major William Spurgeon, Boyd's right-hand man, commanded the Loyalists in a one and half hour of combat with the Patriots. Several Loyalists' armies crossed or swam through the brook, leaving their saddles and belongings behind.

Clarke observed an additional stronger position over Kettle Creek, which troops appeared to have been going towards, and escorted part of his army over, losing the saddle throughout the meantime. The Loyalist position got finally breached, and the remaining Loyalists resulted as slain, arrested, or scattered.

How long did the Battle of Kettle Creek last?

The Battle of Kettle Creek spanned nearly four hours from starting until the end on February 14, 1779.

The Loyalists lost around 200 soldiers out of a total force of about 700. Pickens' British army suffered roughly 32 soldiers dead and injured, mainly from the Patriot Front.

The Boyd's captives were dispersed after 33 Patriot captives detained by him got released. In December 1778, the British launched the Southern Campaign by dispatching forces through New York City from Saint Augustine, East Florida, aiming to seize Savannah, Georgia.

Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell's New York force initially landed, embarking upon Tybee Island on December 3, 1778, which effectively captured Savannah within a few following days on December 29, 1778. Boyd's limited unit battled valiantly, but they were outmaneuvered and forced to retreat.

Boyd got wounded multiple times until he approached the perceived security of the base structure, and he died during the fight on the battlefield. Pickens' flanking divisions, led by John Dooly with Elijah Clarke, rose from marshy land from the left and right to support the attack against the Tory central route as Pickens assaulted mostly in the midpoint.

Major William Augustus Spurgeon Jr. took command of Boyd's unit. The Tories ended up giving down, leaving horseback with ammunition, and fled, crossing the stream, because of vastly outnumbering the Patriots about in pairs and holding the stronger terrain. Through the moment the combat stopped, Boyd's Tory unit had been nearly annihilated.

Battle Of Kettle Creek Generals

The generals who took the lead in the Battle of Kettle Creek were Colonel Andrew Pickens on the American side, while John Boyd was the leader of British forces.

Apart from them being the leader or chief commander of this revolutionary war of America, there was William Spurgeon along with Great Britain, while John Dooly, Elijah Clarke, and Colonel James Little along with American forces.

There is very little known about the leader John Boyd who, as a leader, fought against the American army but was known for his chivalry.

Colonel John Dooly was an American Revolutionary War veteran who was born in Wilkes County, Georgia, in 1740. In 1779, he directed a troop in the Battle of Kettle Creek, while in 1780, Tories assassinated him near his residence. On September 13, 1739, Andrew Pickens was born and died on August 11, 1817.

Andrew Pickens was an American Revolutionary War military commander. He built the Hopewell estate upon this east bank near the Keowee River in the western region of South Carolina, next to the Cherokee settlement of Isunigu, Seneca.

He was appointed to the United States Speaker of Congress, representing the state of South Carolina's western region. At the Hopewell farm, he signed and ratified many Cherokee agreements.