Battle of Van Creek

Last updated
Battle of Van Creek
Part of the American Revolutionary War
DateFebruary 11, 1779
Location
Result Loyalist victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United States (1777-1795).svg United States Union flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg Loyalist militia
Commanders and leaders
William Baskins
John Miller
John Boyd
Strength
100 Militia 600 Militia
Casualties and losses
1 killed
15 wounded
17 captured
Perhaps 100 lost; mostly deserted

The Battle of Van Creek was a small engagement on February 11, 1779, near Elberton, Georgia, during the American Revolutionary War. About 100 Patriot militia men sought to stop a Loyalist force of about 600 men from crossing the Savannah River to rendezvous with a British force which had recently captured Augusta, Georgia. The Loyalist force was able to flank and defeat the Patriot militia and cross the river. However, the Loyalists lost about 100 men, almost all through desertions, and suffered its own defeat and further losses a few days later at the Battle of Kettle Creek. [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Revolutionary War</span> 1775–1783 American war of independence

The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was an armed conflict that was part of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris (1783), which resulted in Great Britain ultimately recognizing the independence and sovereignty of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Pickens (congressman)</span> Revolutionary War militia general in South Carolina (1739-1817)

Andrew Pickens was a militia leader in the American Revolution. A planter and slaveowner, he developed his Hopewell plantation on the east side of the Keowee River across from the Cherokee town of Isunigu (Seneca) in western South Carolina. He was elected as a member of the United States House of Representatives from western South Carolina. Several treaties with the Cherokee were negotiated and signed at his plantation of Hopewell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kings Mountain</span> Battle of the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took place on October 7, 1780, 9 miles (14 km) south of the present-day town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. In what is now rural Cherokee County, South Carolina, the Patriot militia defeated the Loyalist militia commanded by British Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Foot. The battle has been described as "the war's largest all-American fight".

The Battle of Alligator Bridge took place on June 30, 1778, and was the only major engagement in an unsuccessful campaign to conquer British East Florida during the American Revolutionary War. A detachment of Georgia militiamen under the command of General James Screven chased Thomas Brown's Loyalist company into a large position of British regulars established by British Major Mark Prevost and were turned back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kettle Creek</span> 1779 minor conflict of the American Revolutionary War in rural Georgia

The Battle of Kettle Creek was the first major victory for Patriots in the back country of Georgia during the American Revolutionary War that took place on February 14, 1779. It was fought in Wilkes County about eleven miles (18 km) from present-day Washington, Georgia. A militia force of Patriots decisively defeated and scattered a Loyalist militia force that was on its way to British-controlled Augusta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge</span> 1776 American Revolutionary War battle

The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge was a minor conflict of the American Revolutionary War fought near Wilmington, North Carolina, on February 27, 1776. The victory of the North Carolina Provincial Congress' militia force over British governor Josiah Martin's and Tristan Worsley's reinforcements at Moore's was a turning point in the war; American independence was declared less than five months later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)</span> Military unit

The 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) was a British regiment in the American Revolutionary War that was raised to defend present-day Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada from the constant land and sea attacks by American Revolutionaries. The 84th Regiment was also involved in offensive action in the Thirteen Colonies; including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and what is now Maine, as well as raids upon Lake Champlain and the Mohawk Valley. The regiment consisted of 2,000 men in twenty companies. The 84th Regiment was raised from Scottish soldiers who had served in the Seven Years' War and stayed in North America. As a result, the 84th Regiment had one of the oldest and most experienced officer corps of any regiment in North America. The Scottish Highland regiments were a key element of the British Army in the American Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War</span>

The southern theater of the American Revolutionary War was the central theater of military operations in the second half of the American Revolutionary War, 1778–1781. It encompassed engagements primarily in Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Tactics consisted of both strategic battles and guerrilla warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Stono Ferry</span> June 20, 1779 battle in the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle, fought on June 20, 1779, near Charleston, South Carolina. The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt to take Charleston held off an assault by poorly trained militia forces under American General Benjamin Lincoln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Brier Creek</span> 1779 battle of the American Revolutionary War, near present-day Sylvania, Georgia

The Battle of Brier Creek was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on March 3, 1779, near the confluence of Brier Creek with the Savannah River in eastern Georgia. An American Patriot force consisting principally of militia from North Carolina and Georgia along with some Continental Army troops were defeated by British forces, suffering significant casualties. The rout damaged Patriot morale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griffith Rutherford</span> Revolutionary War officer (c. 1721 – 1805)

Griffith Rutherford was an American military officer in the Revolutionary War and the Cherokee-American Wars, a political leader in North Carolina, and an important figure in the early history of the Southwest Territory and the state of Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Musgrove Mill</span>

The Battle of Musgrove Mill, August 19, 1780, occurred near a ford of the Enoree River, near the present-day border between Spartanburg, Laurens and Union Counties in South Carolina. During the course of the battle, 200 Patriot militiamen defeated a combined force of approximately 300 Loyalist militiamen and 200 provincial regulars.

The Battle of Black Mingo was a skirmish during the American Revolution. It took place in September 29, 1780 in the vicinity of Dollard's Tavern at Willtown near Rhems, South Carolina. General Francis Marion leading Revolutionary forces attacked and scattered a contingent of Loyalist troops that had been left to secure the region by British Colonel Banastre Tarleton after his destructive march through the area.

James Moore was an American military officer who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Moore was born into a prominent political family in the colonial Province of North Carolina, he was one of only five generals from North Carolina to serve in the Continental Army. He spent much of his childhood and youth on his family's estates in the lower Cape Fear River area, but soon became active in the colonial military structure in North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capture of Savannah</span> 1778 engagemetn of the American Revolutionary War

The Capture of Savannah was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on December 29, 1778. It pitted an American garrison of Continental Army and militia units against a British invasion force commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell. The capture of the city led to an extended occupation and was the opening move in the British southern strategy to regain control of the rebellious Southern Colonies by appealing to the relatively strong Loyalist sentiment there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Beaufort</span> 1779 battle of the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Beaufort, also known as the Battle of Port Royal Island, was fought on February 3, 1779, near Beaufort, South Carolina, during the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place not long after British forces consolidated control around Savannah, Georgia, which they had captured in December 1778.

The Battle of Rocky Mount took place on August 1, 1780 as part of the American Revolutionary War. 600 Loyalists commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Turnbull occupying an outpost in northern South Carolina withstood an attack by 300 American Patriots led by Colonel Thomas Sumter.

The siege of Augusta took place between May 22, 1781, and June 6, 1781. American Patriot forces, led by Brigadier General Andrew Pickens and Lieutenant Colonel Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, were successful in capturing Augusta, Georgia held by British loyalist militia. Fort Cornwallis, the primary British defence, was successfully exposed to cannon fire by the construction of a tower 30 feet (9.1 m) high on which the Americans mounted a small cannon. The British surrendered on June 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow Campaign</span> Military conflict in the American revolutionary war

The Snow Campaign was one of the first major military operations of the American Revolutionary War in the southern colonies. An army of up to 3,000 Patriot militia under Colonel Richard Richardson marched against Loyalist recruiting centers in South Carolina, flushing them out and frustrating attempts by the Loyalists to organize. The Patriot expedition became known as the Snow Campaign due to heavy snowfall in the later stages of the campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loyalists fighting in the American Revolution</span>

Colonists who supported the British cause in the American Revolution were Loyalists, often called Tories, or, occasionally, Royalists or King's Men. George Washington's winning side in the war called themselves "Patriots", and in this article Americans on the revolutionary side are called Patriots. For a detailed analysis of the psychology and social origins of the Loyalists, see Loyalist.

References

  1. Davis, Robert Scott. Crossing the Great Divide: The Battle at Van Creek, Georgia, February 11, 1779 Journal of the American Revolution, February 9, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2017-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Georgia Society, Sons of the American Revolution. Georgia's Revolutionary War Trail Brochure: The Revolutionary War Encounter at Van(n)'s Creek, Georgia. Expanded reference retrieved August 30, 2021.