Wednesday, Ocbober 28 (7pm) to Saturday, October 31 (5pm), 2015
Headquarters – Augusta, Georgia
Our Tour Leader: Steve Rauch
Registration Fee: $475
The battles of Kettle Creek, Briar Creek, Augusta, Vann’s Ford, Carr’s Fort and other Georgia backcountry sites are far from household names in the lexicon of Revolutionary War battle sites. Far less famous than Saratoga, Trenton, Princeton, or Yorktown, these Georgia battles and skirmishes, nevertheless, tell a great story about how the war was fought and won in the hilly country and pine forests of this southern state. The heroes may be unsung, but experiencing the ground over which these events occurred is well worth the time.
On our first day we will travel to Kettle Creek battlefield, the site of one of the most important battles fought in Georgia during the Revolutionary War. On the way to Kettle Creek we will discuss the campaign of 1779, including the actions at Vann Creek and Carr’s Fort. Kettle Creek was fought on February 14, 1779, when a force of 400 Patriots led by Andrew Pickens, surprised and defeated a force of Loyalists twice their number. The battle disrupted the British “southern strategy” aimed at pacifying the South by separating it from the Middle and Northern colonies. The battle demonstrated the determination of the Patriots; it was a reminder to the Loyalist forces that they were not safe in the open country, away from bases controlled by the British army. We will extensively walk this pristine battlefield. Our afternoon stop will be at the Elijah Clark State Park to discuss the 1780 Wilkes County punitive expedition after Clarke’s attack on Augusta.