Battle of Brier Creek presented by Nathan Chapman: Physical Exhibit

From Obscurity to Significance: Commemorating the Battle of Brier Creek will be on display on the second floor of Henderson Library on Georgia Southern University's Statesboro campus from March 2024 to May 2024.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. 

• Georgia Southern University Statesboro Campus Map
• Directions to Henderson Library
• Visitor Parking

If you are an individual with a disability and require accommodation, please email autumnjohnson@georgiasouthern.edu during regular business hours at least 3 business days prior to the event.

On March 3, 1779, British forces ambushed and defeated Patriot forces in Georgia at Brier Creek near the Savannah River. This British victory allowed colonial rule to be reestablished in Georgia until 1781, which greatly restricted the capabilities of Patriot forces in the Southern colonies. This exhibition highlights the historic Battle of Brier Creek and the battlefield located in present-day Sylvania, Georgia.

The Battle of Brier Creek took place on March 3, 1779. British Colonel Prevost led a force of about 900, while the Patriot forces, led by Generals Ashe and Bryant, consisted of 1,400.

The battle was quick and decisive for British troops but disgraceful for the Patriots as two-thirds of their army fled the battlefield not long after the British forces fired their cannons. Meanwhile, Patriot General Elbert and his Georgia Continentals and militia were the only Patriot formation that held their ground while the other Patriot forces retreated through the swamps and rivers.

British forces pursued the fleeing Patriot troops but stopped to search their camp along the way, which gave most of the troops time to escape down the creek and through the river swamp. The consequences of General John Ashe’s defeat at Brier Creek disrupted the Patriot’s plan to consolidate forces to retake Savannah and drive British troops out of Georgia, which would protect South Carolina from being invaded the following year.

The Patriots lost their foothold in Georgia, allowing the British to reestablish colonial rule of Georgia from 1779 to 1781. This British victory opened a line of communication among other British, Tories, and Native Americans in western Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas.

On August 28, 1832, Benjamin Wilkins, age 71, appeared before the Justices of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions to obtain the benefits of the Provisions Act Congress passed on June 7, 1832. Wilkins enlisted in the Continental Army for 18 months in the 2nd Regiment of the North Carolina Line under the command of Captain Levi Lane and Lieutenant William Perkins. During his enlistment in the 2nd Regiment, he went to Hillsboro, Salisbury, then to Augusta, Georgia, and participated in the Battles at Brier Creek and Pine Tree.

During his enlistment, Wilkins stated that he received wounds in his arm and thigh. Wilkins was discharged after eighteen months of enlistment at Lynches Creek in South Carolina. After his discharge, John Glover hired Wilkins as a substitute soldier and served in a regiment under the command of Major Read, stationed in South Carolina, for nine months and rehired four months later as a substitute for Samual Foreman.

Born in New Hanover, North Carolina, John Ashe studied liberal education and languages at Harvard University in 1746. Although he did not graduate, he built a plantation house and library, and in 1752, he became a member of the assembly. In 1765, he became Speaker of the House in North Carolina and was known for his eloquence, patriotic views, and opposition to the British Parliament and Stamp Act.

On July 17, 1775, Ashe led a force of 500 Patriots in the destruction of a British garrison at Fort Johnston and became a Colonel later that year. Ashe was known for his victory at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge on February 27, 1776, earning him the rank of Brigadier General within the army, and his defeat at Brier Creek on March 3, 1779. In 1781, British forces captured Ashe and held him as a prisoner of war in Wilmington at Craig’s “bullpen,” where he contracted smallpox. Paroled due to his illness, on October 24, 1781, Ashe died at Colonel John Sampson’s house while returning to his family in Hillsborough.

The formation of Georgia regiments began on November 4, 1775, with the creation of the 1st Georgia Regiment, which would defend the Florida border and seacoast. Georgia had five Line Regiments: the 1st Georgia Regiment and the Georgia Regiment of Horse Rangers/Georgia Light Dragoon, consisting of recruits from Georgia; the 2nd Georgia Regiment, with recruits mostly from Virginia; the 3rd Georgia Regiment, with recruits mainly from North Carolina; and the 4th Georgia Regiment was recruited primarily in Pennsylvania.

The Georgia Line had a unique feature compared to other Continental Army Lines due to Georgia’s smaller population, resulting in most recruitment taking place outside the state of Georgia. The Georgia Continentals served in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina during the American Revolution. The Georgia Lines suffered heavy casualties while fighting during the war, but diseases, desertion, and expiring enlistments reduced Georgia Continentals' numbers. On May 12, 1780, the British captured all five Georgia Line Regiments at Charleston. On July 4, 1782, the 1st Georgia Regiment began reorganizing and became a three-company unit known as the 1st Georgia Battalion until the end of the war, officially disbanding on November 15, 1783.

Jacques Marcus Prevost, also known as Mark Prevost, was born in the Republic of Geneva and had eight siblings, including two older brothers, Augustine and Jacques Prevost, both of whom entered the service of the King of Sardinia. Mark Prevost’s military career began in 1756 when the British commissioned all three brothers to fight in the French and Indian War. During the war, Prevost was wounded in the Battle at Carillon in New York, also known as the 1758 Battle of Ticonderoga. When the French and Indian War ended, Prevost was put on inactive duty, and in 1763, he married Theodosia Stillwell Bartow.

Prevost returned to active duty at the onset of the American Revolution. He commanded 5,000 British troops after taking over command from Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell. He is known for his victories at the Battles at Sunbury and Brier Creek in Georgia. In 1780, Mark Prevost received orders to command a contingent of troops to suppress an uprising in Jamaica, where he later died from wounds received in action.

This first British proposal for invading the Southern colonies began in 1775 when Governor Josiah Martin proposed using British Regulars with thousands of Southern Loyalists to eliminate Patriot forces in North Carolina. However, the first attempt at the Southern Strategy failed in 1776 because the British suffered defeats at the Battles of Great Bridge, Moore's Bridge, and Sullivan's Island, resulting in the British ignoring the South for two years.

The Southern Strategy came to fruition on November 26, 1778, when British Secretary of State for the American Department, Lord George Germain, directed Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell to sail to Georgia with around 3,000 British, Loyalist, and Hessian troops. The British experienced success in Georgia at the battles of Savannah, Augusta, and Brier Creek, as well as the capture of Charles Town in South Carolina. While this second attempt at the Southern Strategy displayed success, it relied heavily upon the assumption that most Southerners remained loyal to the British Empire.

Unfortunately for the British, the number of Loyalists never matched Germain's expectations, and by 1781, the Southern Strategy failed to prevent British defeat in the war.

As British Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell marched toward Savannah after retreating from Augusta, he met Colonel Jacques “Mark” Prevost at Hudson’s Ferry just past the Freeman’s Bridge on February 20, 1779.

Before resuming his march to Savannah, Campbell demonstrated how the rebels might be trapped if they followed as far as the mouth of Brier Creek and what Prevost should do if this series of events happened. As predicted, Patriot General John Ashe of North Carolina reached Freemans Bridge, now in ruins, and established his camp at the mouth of Brier Creek on February 27, 1779.

On March 1, Prevost and his central attacking column marched to Paris Mill. That same day, General Ashe left his camp at Brier Creek to attend a Council of War at Black Swamp, and Patriot dragoons began scouting missions in the region. Ashe returned the following day and ordered no more scouting missions because he believed his forces had a secure location and the scouting parties and horses were exhausted. Unfortunately, Ashe’s actions allowed the British to march into attack positions during the night and catch the Patriot army off guard on March 3, 1779.

This project examines the history of The Battle of Brier Creek, which took place during the American Revolution. The battlefield is located in Screven County in today’s city of Sylvania, Georgia. The project works in close conjunction with the Brier Creek Revolutionary War Battlefield Association, Inc. (BCRWBA). Specifically, the project involves the creation of a digital trail that spans the landscape and focuses on the battle, influential leaders of the battle, and the ecosystem of today’s Screven County. In addition to the digital trail, the project examines events before and after the battle and the impact the Patriot defeat had on the American Revolution and the war in the South through a historical animated battle video titled A Devastating Patriot Defeat: The Battle of Brier Creek.

The central part of this project was to develop a digital walking map of the Battle of Brier Creek, which the Brier Creek Revolutionary War Battlefield Association will use to create a physical trail. By partnering with the BCRWA, this project will provide the groundwork for preserving and protecting Brier Creek with the help of the Georgia DNR. The proposed walking trail includes two different paths that stretch through the land. The trail will consist of wayside signage, which will contain the history of the battle while also highlighting the ecosystem around the battlefield.

On August 26, 1776, the Continental Congress enacted the first pension law, which would pay for life any disability or injury an officer, soldier, or sailor sustained during their service to the United States that rendered the person incapable of earning a living for life. However, Congress was dependent on each state to execute the law without the power to raise money to fund it.

Pension records contain historical information on military personnel who served in the United States military, allowing researchers and the public to investigate a person beyond the battlefield. Unfortunately, the government did not take proper measures to protect these documents. On November 8, 1800, a fire broke out in the War Department, destroying most Revolutionary War pensions. More fires would destroy countless documents for the next century years before the government would take action. On January 21, 1921, the Department of Commerce caught fire, destroying nearly the entire 1890 Census, which finally led Congress to pass the Public Buildings Act of 1926. This act beautified the center of Washington, DC, and provided space for the growing bureaucracy, which would create a more protected space for governmental documents.

Samuel Elbert was born on January 1, 1740, in Savannah, GA. He ran a mercantile business and served as Captain of a Continental Grenadier Company during the American Revolution in the South. In 1775, Elbert served in the Council of Safety and the first Provincial Congress of Georgia. As a result of an extensive military background from leading two Florida expeditions, Elbert became Colonel of the 2nd Battalion of Georgia’s Continental Line on September 16, 1776.

He is known for commanding the Georgia Line in multiple engagements, including the Battle of Brier Creek on March 3, 1779, which resulted in his capture. Upon his release on May 3, 1781, Elbert returned to service and participated in the Siege of Yorktown. After the war, Elbert was elected Governor of Georgia for one year. He served as Assistant Justice in Chatham County starting in 1786 and as Sheriff of Chatham County in 1787. Elbert served in these positions until his death in 1788 and received a military burial with full honors at the Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia.

Born in Inveraray, Scotland, Campbell started his military career as an engineering officer in the British Army and served in Guadeloupe, Dominica, and the West Indies. In the Spring of 1776, Campbell sailed for America with the 2nd battalion of Fraser’s new Highland regiment. He arrived at a Patriot-controlled Boston on June 16, 1776, where Patriot troops captured him and held him as a prisoner for two years until a prisoner exchange. Campbell is renowned for his successful conquest of Savannah and Augusta and his strategic planning for countering Patriots forces at Brier Creek.

After returning to England, Campbell became the Governor of Jamaica on July 10, 1782, and later the Governor of Madras in 1786 until his resignation in 1789 due to poor health. Campbell died on March 31, 1791, and rests at Westminster Abbey.

Major General Simon Fraser of Lovat created the 71st Regiment of Foot (Fraser's Highlanders) in Scotland in December 1775 to fight in the American War of Independence. The Regiment arrived in North America in the summer of 1776, joining Lord Howe’s British Army, and quickly engaged in battle in the Northern Campaign in New York, Brandywine, and Wilmington in August.

Following the Northern Campaign of 1776, the regiment was sent to Savannah in December 1778 under Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell’s command, where they assisted in capturing the city. The 71st is famous for capturing Augusta, its victory at Brier Creek, Camden, and several other battles. However, after their momentous victories, the regiment experienced defeat at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina, a pyrrhic victory at Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina, and then several skirmishes throughout Virginia before the British surrender at Yorktown. Those taken as prisoners at Yorktown returned home to Perth, Scotland, between 1783 and 1784. Those who escaped capture returned to Newfoundland, while others went to Jamaica.

The war in the South raged through multiple areas in the southern colonies of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. General Nathanael Greene divided his forces and implemented a Fabian strategy to harass the British forces throughout the South. With this strategy, Greene and his fragmented armies avoided decisive engagements, making British General Cornwallis split his already divided forces even more throughout the South. As a result, Greene brought troops together and waged a successful campaign against the British in the South, while his tactics at Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse severely weakened Cornwallis's army.

Despite Patriot defeats, including losses at Savannah in 1778 and 1779, Brier Creek in 1779, and Charles Town in 1780, Patriot forces recovered and edged closer to strategic victory. Despite the Southern Strategy's success, the British's failure to recruit Loyalists to replenish ranks contributed to its failure, and ultimately, the British surrendered in Yorktown on October 19, 1781.