Motor trail may trace Revolution’s path through Georgia

Bill Ramsaur, Bob Galer and a lot of other historically minded Georgians have a message they want to send from one side of Georgia to the other: Before Sherman, there was Cornwallis. Before the troops in blue, we faced the redcoats. Before Atlanta fell, Savannah became a prize of war.

Members of the Georgia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution want to make sure people recognize that another war took place in the pine forests of Georgia decades before Atlanta burned.

The society wants to create Georgia’s Revolutionary War Trail, a string of centuries-old battle sites that range from the rolling uplands to the sea. The proposed trail, directing motorists from one site to the next, would be more than 200 miles long.

“People always think of Boston or Philadelphia when you say ‘American Revolution,’ ” said Ramsaur, who lives on St. Simons Island, where a naval battle occurred 230 years ago. “If they’re from the South, they may think of Francis Marion or South Carolina. People rarely think of Georgia.”

That’s an oversight, Galer said. The War of Independence, he said, “is part of the remarkable history of Georgia.”

The eight-year war began in 1775, when British forces clashed with colonists in Lexington and Concord, Mass. It remained a regional fracas, mostly limited to the northern Colonies, until 1778. In December, the British attacked and took Savannah. From there, the armies of King George III moved across the Southern landscape, attacking Augusta in early 1779.

From that point, the war, which ended in 1783, ranged across Georgia and the Carolinas. It introduced British troops and loyalists to a new way of fighting —- guerilla warfare, a tactic relying on surprise and speed. It helped tilt the war in the colonists’ favor.

The association last year applied for and received $11,420 from the state Department of Economic Development to get the trail started. The group must come up with an identical amount. Members are creating brochures outlining the significance of each site.

Those sites:

> Vann’s Creek: This February 1779 skirmish took place in Elbert County three days before the decisive Patriot victory at Kettle Creek. In the smaller fight, the outnumbered American forces attacked loyalist troops. That armed fracas left the Tories weakened for the fight to come at Kettle Creek.

> Kettle Creek: This was the first defeat of forces loyal to the crown in Georgia. It took place in February 1779 in Wilkes County, near Washington. Several hundred loyalists fled the approach of troops from South Carolina and Georgia.

> Fort Cornwallis: Located in Augusta, the British-built fort fell to American forces in September 1780. They soon abandoned it to the British. In June 1781, the British forces capitulated to the Americans.

> Brier Creek: This March 1779 battle, not far from Sylvania in Screven County, went badly for the colonists, who were outmaneuvered by the professional army of the king. It underscored the Patriots’ lack of on-the-job training. In the earlier battle of Kettle Creek, they’d faced loyalists who were no better trained than they.

> Battle and Siege of Savannah: Savannah fell in December 1778, when British forces landed unopposed on a bluff below Savannah. The siege occurred in September 1779, when French troops besieged the British-controlled city. It ended with a bloody rout a month later, sending the French back to their ships.

> Fort Morris: British forces in November 1778 demanded the surrender of this fort, located in coastal Liberty County. That prompted its commander, Lt. Col. John McIntosh, to respond, “Come and take it!” The British withdrew to Florida but returned in January and took the fort.

> Frederica River: In April 1778, three vessels of the Georgia Navy captured Fort Frederica on the river of the same name, near St. Simons Island. The ships attacked three British vessels, which ran aground while fleeing. Historians say this action delayed for months the invasion of Georgia.

The society’s efforts underscore a renewed interest in creating driving trails. The Georgia Historical Society is cataloging more than 900 state-owned historic markers that showcase Civil War sites.

An organization named Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails Inc. is creating six driving trails that encompass 400 spots that are historically significant.

 ELIZABETH LANDT / Staff 
FOLLOWING THE WAR 
The Revolutionary War Trail would begin in Elbert County in northeast Georgia and extend more than 200 miles to St. Simons Island in southeast Georgia. Along the way, it would highlight seven battle sites or forts from the Revolutionary War. 

Map locates forts/battle sites. Inset map outlines area of detail in Georgia and South Carolina, relative to Atlanta.

Source: The Georgia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution