Part 4

1

The Loyalist aka Tories

• The Loyalists, as their name implies, were loyal to England and did not want the colonies to break away from the mother country.

• Tories generally advocate monarchism, are usually of a High Church Anglican religious heritage, and are opposed to the radical liberalism of the Whig faction.

• Many influential colonial Georgians remained loyal to England including Royal Governor James Wright, land owner Thomas Brown, and minister John J. Zubly.

• Some, such as Brown, took up arms against their fellow Georgians who sided with the patriots.

• Most of the loyalist landowners forfeited their land to the patriots and left after the war.

2

Patriots aka Whigs• Were those colonists of the Thirteen Colonies

who violently rebelled against British control during the American Revolution and in July 1776 declared the United States of America an independent nation.

• Their rebellion was based on the political philosophy of republicanism, as expressed by spokesmen such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Thomas Paine

• Named after the British Whig Party– Opposed absolute rule– Revolutionary at the time

3

Propaganda Activity

Write 5 facts of four or more words about the Revolution in five minutes. You have to use one the

words “Tories”, “Whigs”, “Loyalist”, or “Patriot” in each fact.

REVOLUTION

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

- Most Georgia

Loyalists lived along the

coast, in or around

Savannah.They were

wealthy and benefited from their

trade relationship

with England.

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

- Most Georgia Patriots lived in

Georgia’s frontier

backcountry (also called the upcountry).They tended to

rely on themselves and did not want to be bothered by

the government.

Fighting Begins in Georgia- The first major fighting in the

South took place in the

December 1778 when the

British defeated the Patriots at

Savannah.

- By January 1779, the

British had also captured Augusta,

Georgia’s only other major city.

.

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

- Sir James Wright was restored as

Royal Governor of Georgia and

efforts were made to hunt down Georgia colonists who had supported

the Whigs.

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

The fight appeared to be

lost for Georgia’s Patriots…

…UNTIL…

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

The Battle of Kettle-The British

Commander asked for additional troops to capture the rest of

the colony of Georgia

- A group of 700 British soldiers and Loyalists marched

from North Carolina and

camped on a small stream called Kettle Creek

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

The Battle of Kettle

- A group of Patriots from backcountry,

led by Elijah Clarke, marched to meet the

British atKettle Creek in an

early morning surprise attack in

February 1779

- Elijah Clarke’s victory forced the

British to withdraw from Augusta

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

The Battle of Kettle Creek

is considered the most important

Revolutionary War battle fought in

Georgia because it prevented the British from gaining control of the backcountry

… but things were soon to take a turn

for the worse …

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

The Siege of Savannah

- In the Fall of 1779, American and French

forces prepared to attack and regain

control of Savannah from the British.

- They attack, on October 9, lasted

only 90 minutes, and the Americans were beaten back, losing

thousands of soldiers.

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

The Siege of Savannah

- The attack on Savannah was the second bloodiest

battle of the Revolutionary War.

- The most famous casualty of the battle was a Polish soldier

who had come to fight for the colonists,Count Casimir

Pulaski.

Both Pulaski County and

Fort Pulaski are named in his honor.

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

The End of the War

-After the failed attack on Savannah,

the Patriots and Loyalists continued to fight each other.

-By 1781, the tide turned against the

British, and the Patriots recaptured

Augusta.

-The following year, the British were forced to withdraw from

Savannah.

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:The End of the War

- In 1781, General George Washington defeated the largest British Army in America, commanded by Lord Cornwallis, at the Battle

of Yorktown.

The Revolutionary War in Georgia:

The End of the War

- Great Britain and America signed the Treaty of Paris of 1783, recognizing the independence of

the thirteen American States.

* Unfortunately for Georgia, the

Treaty of Paris of 1783 once again

gave Spain possession of

Florida.

Georgia’s Revolutionary War Heroes:

Elijah Clarke

• One of the more well-known Georgia patriots was Lieutenant Colonel Elijah Clarke (1742-1799).

• Clarke was a poor farmer from North Carolina who moved to Georgia around 1773.

• Interestingly, his name was listed on a petition to support the King in 1774, but he quickly joined the Georgia militia when the fighting broke out in the colony.

• Early in the war, Clarke fought both the Creek and Cherokee who had sided with the British.

Elijah Clarke• Clarke’s most famous act was his leadership during the patriot victory at the Battle of

Kettle Creek. • During this battle, Clarke led a charge against loyalist troops that helped win the

battle and boost morale for the Georgia patriots. • After this battle, Clarke led guerilla fighting against British troops in Georgia and

South Carolina. Based on his military accomplishments, Clarke County was named in his honor.

• After the war, Clarke led a checkered life.• In 1789, he tried to create his own country, called the “Trans-Oconee

Republic,” after defeating the Creek Indians in present day Walton County.• He was also involved with the Yazoo Land Fraud, and became entangled in two

plots to illegally invade East Florida. • Clarke died in 1799, discredited and almost bankrupt.

• Nonetheless, despite his questionable actions, Clarke’s descendants continued to be involved in Georgia politics, including his son John Clark, who became governor of the state.

Georgia’s Revolutionary War Heroes:

2. Austin Dabney• Austin Dabney (1765-1830) was a

slave who fought under Elijah Clarke during the Battle of Kettle Creek.

• Dabney served in the place of his master Richard Aycock, who used Dabney as a substitute in order not to fight himself.

• Dabney is thought to be the only African American who fought at the Battle of Kettle Creek.

• He was an artilleryman and was severely wounded during the fighting.

• One of his fellow soldiers, Giles Harris, took Dabney to his home and cared for Dabney while he recovered.

• Harris’s kindness fostered a close bond between Dabney and the Harris family, who Dabney continued to work for after he was granted his freedom.

• Dabney even paid for Giles Harris’ son’s college expenses at the University of Georgia.

• Due to his bravery during the Battle of Kettle Creek, the state of Georgia paid for Dabney’s freedom from his former master.

• The state also gave Dabney a grant for 50 acres of land for his service during the Revolution; the only African-American to receive one.

• Later, Dabney received an additional 112 acres from the state and a federal “invalid pension” of 60 dollars a month (which was increased to 96 dollars a month) due to the wound he received at Kettle Creek

Georgia's Revolutionary War Heroes:3. Nancy Hart

-A six-foot tall, red head known as the Wauhatchie War Woman-According to legend, served as a Whig spy at Kettle Creek-Killed possibly six invading British soldiers after getting them drunk on wine when theydemanded she cook for them

- Today, Hart County is the only County in Georgia named after a woman

* In 1912, railroad workers who were working near the

Hart homestead came across the graves of six skeletons!!!

E

Lesson Two (SS8H3b) – The student will analyze the significance of people and events in Georgia on the Revolutionary War; include

Loyalists, Patriots, Elijah Clarke, Austin Dabney, Nancy Hart, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton, the Battle of Kettle

Creek, and the Siege of Savannah.What do you remember about…

the Revolutionary War in Georgia???1.Whig Commander and hero of Kettle Creek A. Whig

2.2nd bloodiest battle of the Revolutionary War B. Backcountry

G

H 3. The 6 ft. tall, red headed Wauhatchie War Woman

C. Button Gwinnett

I 4. Most politically successful member of the Georgia Representatives

D. Tory

B 5. Frontier area of Georgia where Whigs mostly lived

E. SavannahF 6. Slave who fought for the Whigs at

Kettle CreekF. Austin Dabney

C 7. Declaration signer who was later killed in a duel

G. Elijah Clarke

D 8. Colonists who were Loyal to the King of England

H. Nancy Hart

A 9. Colonists who supported independence

I. George WaltonSS8H3 – The student will analyze the role of Georgia in the

American Revolution.