THE GEORGIA REFUGEES

 

Representing Colonel John Dooly’s Regiment

Captain John Cunningham’s Company

of Wilkes County, Georgia Militia

 

Brigade of the American Revolution Unit #310

 

As partial fulfillment of the requirements for unit membership in the Brigade of the American Revolution, we respectfully submit the following documentation to justify the particular dress of our members.  
November, 2001
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

CLOTHING DOCUMENTATION

 

INTRODUCTION—Page 2

CIVILIAN CLOTHING—Page 3

MILITIA CLOTHING—Page 3

ANALYSIS OF THE LEDGER BOOK—Page 4

A CORROBORATING REFERENCE—Page 12

SUMMARY—Page 14

 

HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION

 

INTRODUCTION—Page 17

INDIAN TREATIES AFFECTING THE BACK COUNTRY OF GEORGIA—Page 17

INTRODUCTION OF MEN OF NOTE—Page 17

A HISTORICAL TIMELINE—Page 18

EXTRACTS FROM THE MINUTES OF THE GEORGIA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL—Page 29

THE PROVISIONS OF THE GEORGIA MILITIA ACT and THE CONTINENTAL ARTICLES OF WAR as they relate to the Wilkes County Militia DRILL, ORGANIZATION, ARMS, and ACCOUTERMENTS—Page 33

SUMMARY—Page 34

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

APPENDIX

 

I.             DEFINITIONS OF THE TYPES OF CLOTH LISTED IN THE LEDGER BOOK

II.         AN ACCOUNTING OF THE PASSENGERS BROUGHT TO FRIENDSBOROUGH BY WILLIAM MANSON

III.           ACCOUNTHOLDERS IN THE LEDGER OF WILLIAM MANSON

IV.          THE MILITIA ACT OF 1778

V.            BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF ORIGINAL MEMBERS

CLOTHING DOCUMENTATION

 
INTRODUCTION
 
With the exception of the written work of William Bartram (1739-1822), most contemporary accounts of colonial and Revolutionary Georgia tend to concentrate on persons living in the coastal areas of the state.  Advertisements for runaways and for the services of tailors found in the Georgia Gazette newspaper in Savannah indicate that the type of clothing worn by Georgians along the coast was similar to that worn over most of the Eastern seaboard, and of their brothers and sisters in England and Europe.  Reports of singularly odd persons, or of whites wearing “native” types of dress aside, in general it is safe to say that the cut of clothing for both the men and women of coastal Georgia tended to follow the English fashion.
 
As for the people further into the interior of the state, the areas of the state toward the northern frontier along the Savannah and Ogeechee Rivers are often thought of as a sparsely populated wilderness area.  Known simply the Back Country, or as time passed, the Ceded Lands, the Augusta District, St. Paul’s Parish, and finally Wilkes County, the territory along the South Carolina border was actually a rather busy crossroads of trade.   
 
The Ceded Lands/Wilkes County area had relatively easy access to goods and services via the Savannah River and a well established trade route south to Savannah through Augusta and Ebenezer; and Augusta was a main trading post for the Creek and Cherokee Indians.  Certainly there were folks in more isolated areas of the interior who were like the wild South Carolina backcountry folks described by Charles Woodmason, but there were many more who were more or less settled folks, used to the more structured “civilized” surroundings such as they left in the British Isles (or Germany in the case of the Ebenezer-based Salzburgers).  
 
In the written accounts of both the Salzburgers and the Quaker population of Wrightsborough, there is no suggestion that the white population of the Ceded Lands/Wilkes County territory was in any way divorced from the knowledge of current European clothing trends, and of course had ready access to most of the same cloth and clothing items as their more cosmopolitan brothers in Savannah and Charles Town, South Carolina.
 
The book Quaker Records in Georgia by Robert Scott Davis contains a very good set of records of one particular denizen of the back country, Captain William Manson.  Manson, the founder of the Friendsborough settlement in the Ceded Lands and an acquaintance of Thomas “Burntfoot” Brown (the founder of  the nearby Brownsborough settlement), placed advertisements in several English journals to solicit subscriptions for indentured servants to settle on his new plantation in the upper reaches of the Ceded Lands.  He and his partners William and John Chapman purchased 300 acres near Wrightsborough (west of Augusta) in December of 1774, and as master of the ship Georgia Packet, departed from England around the 11th of September, 1775.  The ship’s manifest lists each person’s name, age, occupation, and previous homeplace.  (See Appendix for a breakdown of this list).
 
More interesting than the passenger list for our purposes is the inclusion in Davis’ book of a listing of the ledger book of the Manson plantation, which was begun as soon as the settlement was established.  The entries in this ledger cover the year 1776, and list a huge variety of items bought and sold by the plantation. They include entries for foodstuff, tools, raw materials, clothing, cloth, tailoring, shoes, shoemaking—in short, everything that a more or less typical person living in Wilkes County during the early war years would be eating and wearing.  
 
One thing that is clear from Manson’s Ledger is that there was a fair amount of trade in the Back Country in the years of the Revolution, and not just for staple items.  There are many references to luxury goods received both for the Manson’s use and for trade to wealthy neighbors—items such as Delftware and knives and forks; and useful items such as hand tools, hardware, iron and steel, in addition to food and clothing.
 
Given the detailed nature of the descriptions (usually listing color, material, yardage and price) we believe that this ledger book is one of the best primary resources for properly documenting our impression—it is contemporary for the early time period of the Revolution, it contains information on purchases by persons in a range of economic classes, and it places the people and their clothing in the proper location geographically.   
 
CIVILIAN CLOTHING
 
In general, we believe that the ledger entries show a recognizable pattern of predominance for the following characteristics:
 
·               Plant fiber cloth versus woolens or leatherns—Although wool was certainly available, the relatively warmer climate of the area probably played a large part in the decision of the residents to use more linen and cotton cloth.  Leather most often is associated with shoemaking supplies, although there are four entries for leather breeches.
 
·               The preponderance of factory loomed versus homespun cloth—Of all the accounts in the ledger, very few are for raw wool or flax, and those that are listed are sufficient for no more than a few garments.  The vast majority of cloth appears to have been factory loomed.
 
·               The abundance of checked and printed cloth—Of 212 records, 44 mention either colored or patterned cloth.  These 44 records total approximately 385 total yards of cloth, and of this, 229 yards are some sort of printed or checked fabric.  Of solid colored cloth, blue is the predominate color, with nearly 60 yards.  The total yardage of all cloth in the records is about 944 yards.
 
·               The use of cotton fiber—Although most documentation associated with Revolutionary War reenacting tend to regard cotton as an expensive luxury item on par with silk, the ledger book shows that the prices paid for cotton cloth were within the range of other cloth materials purchased.  Instances of cotton being specifically named as raw cloth material amount to approximately 80 yards, or a bit less than 9% of the total yardage.  This does not take into accounts other fabrics which may have been made from cotton fiber, but no notation was made.  
 
·              Style of clothing—One thing the ledger does not show well is the particular cut, style, or type of clothing the raw cloth was made into, although the entries that do mention a particular garment point to a decidedly European flavor.  There is no evidence that the social norm for 18th century clothing was ignored in any way, with men’s clothing generally consisting of a hat, shirt, neck stock, waistcoat, breeches, outer coat, stockings and shoes.  Articles for which specific names are given include “short coat,” “French wide coat,” and a “surtout coat.”  There are several entries which record suits of clothes, or for coats and waistcoats.  Women’s clothing likewise seems to follow a European pattern, and several entries record such generic articles as gowns, and also include a citation for a “riding dress,” and for a “morning gown.”
 
MILITIA CLOTHING
 
The general findings listed above give us a high level of confidence in our current recommendations for representations of civilian dress.  Although further research may lead to new discoveries, one thing we have not been able to document in any way is the use of a particular uniform or distinguishing type of clothing for civilians serving in the Georgia militia, in Wilkes County or any other locale.  Until we can properly document such clothing, we will assume that the citizen soldier of Wilkes County served wearing his own clothing.  Depending on the individual’s social and economic standing, he might go afield in his only suit of clothes, or he could possibly have a suit particularly made for outdoor work.
 
Further, there is no evidence that any of his equipage was issued from government stores, and indeed, the Militia Act of 1778 specifically required each man to “constantly keep and bring with him, to such training, exercising or Muster, one good Gun, Bayonet, hanger, sword or hatchet, a Cartouch Box, twelve Cartridges a powder horn and half pound of Powder, with at least twenty four rounds of Lead, a Worm, pricker and four Flints each.”  No uniform of any type is mentioned.  Although it is well documented that individual commanders had the liberty to clothe any troops they might raise on their own, there is no evidence that Colonel John Dooly or any of the officers under his command so clothed any militia unit.  Indeed, from researching the proceedings of the Georgia Council of Safety and the Georgia Assembly and the Order Book of Colonel Samuel Elbert, it is quite clear that funds did not exist for raising and arming the Continental Battalions assigned to it by Congress, much less for funding the equipping of the militia.
 
ANALYSIS OF THE LEDGER BOOK
 
The first exhibit is the listing of the actual accountbook itself, re-arranged alphabetically by accountholder.  This listing is transcribed from the Davis book, and only includes accountholders who bought or sold fabric, shoes, clothing items, or notions.  As this report is for the purpose of documenting clothing, accounts for those who purchased any other items are excluded.   Headings include the name of the accountholder, the date of the ledger entry, whether the entry was a debit or credit, a heading to describe if the item was being purchased or being made, the article name (if given), the amount purchased (if given), the color of the article (if given), the type of material (if given), and the price.  Prices are listed in the Pounds…Shillings…Pence format.  (12 pence to the shilling, 20 shillings to the pound).
 

William Manson Ledger—Table One

Entries for Cloth, Clothing, Tailoring, &c.

Accountholder

Date

Debit or Credit

To make or to buy

Article

Amount

Color

Material

Total Cost

Anglin, James

14-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 yd

 

Oznaburgh

0..4..6

Baldwin, David

29-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

9 1/2 yd

Check

Check

1..3..9

Bedel, Absalom

8-Apr-76

Dr

To make

Breeches

 

 

Leather

0..8..6

Binson & May

4-Mar-76

Dr

To buy

Pocket handkerchiefs

6 ea

 

 

0..12..0

Binson & May

26-Mar-76

Dr

To buy

 

22 yd

Printed

Linen

2..7..8

Binson & May

26-Mar-76

Dr

To buy

 

36 1/2 yd

Blue

Frieze

3..6..0

Binson & May

26-Mar-76

Dr

To buy

 

43 1/2 Ells

Check

Cotton

1..18..0

Binson & May

26-Mar-76

Dr

To buy

 

30 yd

 

Worsted stuff

1..8..9

Binson & May

26-Mar-76

Dr

To buy

 

22 1/4 yd

Bleached

Drab

1..9..8

Binson & May

1-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

25 yd

Brown

Drab

2..18..4

Binson & May

1-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

Handkerchiefs

1/2 doz

Check

Check

0..12..0

Binson & May

1-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

Pairs of Buckles, No. 9

2 doz

 

 

1..10..0

Binson & May

1-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

25 yd

Check

Check

1..2..0

Binson & May

16-Aug-77

Dr

To buy

 

1 scain

 

Silk

0..1..0

Brown, Thomas

10-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

Hat

 

 

Felt

0..5..0

Brown, Thomas

10-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

Shirt

 

 

Oznaburg

0..3..00

Burney, John

21-Jul-76

Dr

To make

Breeches

 

 

 

0..7..0

Darden, George

18-Feb-76

Dr

To make

Breeches

 

 

Silk

0..6..9

Dennis, John Jr.

11-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

12 yd

Blue

Stuffs

2..8..0

Dennis, John Jr.

11-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

3/4 yd

 

Buckram

0..2..3

Dennis, John Jr.

11-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 skain

 

Silk

0..1..0

Dennis, John Jr.

11-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 drams

 

Twist

0..1..0

Dennis, John Jr.

11-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

2 oz

 

Thread

0..3..0

Dennis, John Jr.

11-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 1/2 yd

 

Coarse Linen

0..4..6

Dennis, John Jr.

11-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

6 yd

 

Stay tape

0..0..9

Dennis, John Jr.

11-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..4..6

Dennis, John Jr.

11-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

2 drams

 

Twist

0..0..8

Dennis, John Jr.

11-Apr-76

Dr

To make

Suit of cloaths

 

 

 

1..15..6

Dennis, John Sr.

13-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

4 yd

 

Durants

0..16..0

Dennis, Thomas

16-Apr-76

Dr

To make

Coat and Waistcoat

 

 

 

0..18..6

Dennis, Thomas

16-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 1/2 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..2..3

Dennis, Thomas

16-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

1/2 yd

 

Buckram and stay tape

0..2..4

Dennis, Thomas

16-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

 

 

Silk & twists

0..2..0

Downs, William

9-May-76

Dr

To buy

For women’s gowns

5 yd

 

Stuff

0..18..0

Downs, William

19-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

4 1/2 yd

 

Stuffs

0..18..0

Downs, William

24-Jul-76

Cr

To make

Short coat and breeches

 

 

 

0..16..0

Downs, William

24-Jul-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..1..6

Downs, William

19-Aug-76

Cr

To buy

 

1yd

 

Buckskin

0..1..6

Downs, William

19-Aug-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 skain

 

Silk

0..1..1

Downs, William

19-Aug-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 skain

 

Twist

0..1..9

Downs, William

19-Aug-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 oz

 

Thread

0..1..6

Few, Ignatius

3-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

2 yd

Cheque

Cheque

0..2..4

Few, Ignatius

3-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

Handkerchief

2 ea

 

 

0..4..0

Few, Ignatius

14-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

8 yd

Brown

Broad Cloth

1..6..0

Few, Ignatius

14-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

6 yd

Blue

Broad Cloth

1..7..0

Few, Ignatius

14-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 5/8 yd

White

Drab

0..2..2

Few, Ignatius

14-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 5/8 yd

Brown

Drab

0..1..11

Few, Ignatius

14-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

8 1/2 yd

 

Coarse Linen

0..8..6

Glascock, William Esq.

27-Feb-76

Dr

To buy

 

8 yd

Printed

Cotton

2..12..0

Glascock, William Esq.

19-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 yd

 

Drill

0..15..0

Glascock, William Esq.

19-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

Hatt for boy

1 ea

 

 

0..5..0

Goodgion, William

29-Feb-76

Dr

To buy

 

7 yd

Printed

Cotton

2..5..6

Goodgion, William

11-Sep-76

Dr

To buy

 

4 1/2 yd

Brown

Drab

0..18..0

Goodgion, William

7-Oct-76

Dr

To buy

 

8 yd

 

Buckram

1..8..0

Gordon, James

3-Jun-76

Cr

To buy

 

3 1/4 yd

 

Cotton stuff

0..19..6

Gordon, James

27-Jul-76

Cr

To make

Waistcoat and breeches (mistake)

 

 

 

0..12..6

Grierson, James Esq

27-Mar-76

Dr

To buy

 

6 yd

Brown

Russia Drab

0..18..0

Grierson, James Esq

7-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

6 yd

White

Russia Drab

0..18..0

Grierson, James Esq

7-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

38 yd

 

Frieze

7..12..0

Harris, William

21-Jul-76

Cr

To make

Breeches

1 pr

 

 

0..10..0

Heard, Charles

16-Apr-77

Cr

To buy

 

5 lb

 

Wool

0..5..0

Heard, Charles

16-Apr-77

Cr

To buy

 

1 lb

 

Flax

0..1..6

Herbert, Isaac

24-Jul-76

Dr

To make

Suit of cloaths

 

 

 

1..5..0

Herbert, Isaac

24-Jul-76

Dr

To make

Waistcoat and breeches

 

 

 

0..12..6

Herbert, Isaac

24-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

6 yd

Chequered

Chequered Venetian

1..4..0

Herbert, Isaac

24-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 oz

 

Thread

0..2..0

Herbert, Isaac

24-Jul-76

Dr

To make

Morning gown

 

 

 

0..6..0

Herbert, Isaac

3-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

Buckles

1 pr

 

 

0..2..0

Hodgin, John

9-Feb-76

Dr

To make

Breeches

 

 

 

0..10..6

Hodgin, John

9-Feb-76

Dr

To make

Gloves

 

 

 

0..2..6

Howard, Capt Sr.

24-Jul-76

Dr

To make

Breeches for son

 

 

Leather

0..10..0

Howard, Capt Sr.

24-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

 

 

Thread, buttons, silk, etc.

0..3..0

Howell, John

4-Oct-76

Dr

To buy

Shoes

1 pr

 

 

0..9..0

Jones, Francis Jr.

12-Jan-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 side

 

Sole leather

0..5..0

Jones, Francis Jr.

14-Jan-76

Cr

To buy

 

1/2 lb

 

Flax

0..0..8

Jones, Francis Jr.

22-Jan-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 side; 10 3/4 lb

 

Sole leather

0..8..11 1/2

Jones, Francis Jr.

22-Jan-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 side; 5 3/4 lb

 

Sole leather

0..4..9 1/2

Jones, Francis Jr.

5-Feb-22

Cr

To buy

 

1 side; 9 lb

 

Sole leather

0..7..6

Jones, Francis Jr.

7-Feb-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 side

 

Sole leather

0..10..0

Jones, Francis Jr.

20-Sep-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 side

 

Sole leather

0..8..0

Jones, Francis Jr.

20-Sep-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 ea

 

Calf skin

0..4..0

Jones, Francis Jr.

20-Sep-76

Cr

To make

Dressing leather

1 side

 

 

0..1..6

Low, Curtis

1-May-76

Dr

To buy

Shirts

2 ea

 

Coarse Linen

0..16..0

Low, Curtis

1-May-76

Dr

To buy

Stockings

1 pr

 

 

0..2..3

Low, Curtis

1-May-76

Dr

To buy

Pocket handkerchiefs

2 ea

 

Cotton

0..7..0

Low, Curtis

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

7 yd

Brown

Stuff

1..8..0

Low, Curtis

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 yd

White

Drilling

0..15..0

Low, Curtis

5//7/76

Dr

To buy

 

2 drams

 

Twist

0..0..9

Low, Curtis

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 oz

 

Thread

0..1..6

Low, Curtis

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1/2 yd

 

Buckram

0..1..3

Low, Curtis

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

Twist buttons, large

1 doz and 10

 

 

0..4..7

Low, Curtis

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

Twist buttons, small

1 doz and 8

 

 

0..2..0

Low, Curtis

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 skain

 

Silk

0..2..0

Low, Curtis

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 1/2 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..3..9

Low, Curtis

10-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1/2 oz

 

Thread

0..0..9

Low, Curtis

10-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

6 yd

Cheque

Cheque

0..15..0

Low, Curtis

10-May-76

Dr

To make

Short coat, waistcoat, and breeches

 

 

 

1..3..0

Low, Curtis

10-May-76

Dr

To make

Altering a coat

 

Blue

 

0..5..0

Low, Curtis

22-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

7 1/2 yd

Check

Check

0..16..9

Low, Curtis

22-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..1..6

Low, Curtis

22-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

Handkerchiefs, large

3 ea

 

Cotton

0..16..6

Low, Curtis

26-Sep-76

Dr

To buy

 

2 yds

 

Cloath

1..8..0

Low, Curtis

26-Sep-76

Dr

To buy

 

 

 

Twist

0..3..0

Maddan, Widow

12-May-76

Dr

To buy

Hatt

 

 

Felt

0..5..0

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

8 1/2 yd

 

Stuff

1..9..9

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 1/2 yd

 

Drill

0..14..0

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 drams

 

Silk

0..1..3

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 dram

 

Twist

0..0..4

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

Thread

1 oz

 

 

0..2..0

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1/2 yd

 

Buckram

0..2..6

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

Buttons, large

1 doz

 

 

0..2..6

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

Buttons, sm

4 ea

 

 

0..0..5 1/2

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 3/4 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..2..7 1/2

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To make

Coat, Breeches

2 pr

 

 

1..2..0

Maddock, Joseph

12-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 1/2 yd

Unbleached

Drab

0..6..0

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

4 1/2 yd

Check

Check

0..11.3

Maddock, Joseph

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

3/4 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..1..1 1/2

Martin, Gannaway

11-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

 

2 yd

Cheque

Cheque

0..5..0

McFarland, Captain

16-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

5/4 yd

Blue

Durant

1..0..0

McFarland, Captain

16-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 1/2 yd

White

Russia Drab

0..17..6

McFarland, Captain

16-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1/2 yd

 

Buckram

0..1..4

McFarland, Captain

16-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 drams

 

Twist

0..1..0

McFarland, Captain

16-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 skain

 

Silk

0..1..0

McFarland, Captain

16-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 oz

 

Thread

0..2..0

McFarland, Captain

16-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

 

 

Stay tape

0..0..1

McFarland, Captain

16-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

2 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..3..0

McFarland, Captain

11-Jun-76

Dr

To make

Short coat

 

 

 

0..14..0

McFarland, Captain

11-Jun-76

Dr

To make

Breeches

2 pr

 

 

0..12..0

McFarland, Captain

11-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

1/2 quarter

 

Irish Linen

0..0..6

McFarland, Captain

11-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

For pockets

1/2 yd

 

Russia Drab

0..2..0

McFarland, Captain

8-Sep-76

Dr

To buy

 

16 1/2 yd

 

Frieze

5..15..6

McFarland, Captain

8-Sep-76

Dr

To buy

 

8 yd

 

Broad Cloth

5..0..0

McFarland, Captain

8-Sep-76

Dr

To buy

 

10 yd

Check

Check

1..15..0

McFarland, Captain

8-Sep-76

Dr

To buy

Men’s hatts

2 ea

 

 

0..13..0

McFarland, Captain

8-Sep-76

Dr

To buy

Handkerchief

1 ea

 

 

0..4..0

McLean, Andrew Esq.

13-Feb-76

Dr

To buy

 

66 yd

 

Oznaburgh

1..18..6

McLean, Andrew Esq.

15-Feb-76

Dr

To buy

 

21 1/2 yd

 

Oznaburgh

0..12..6 1/2

McLean, Andrew Esq.

15-Feb-76

Dr

To buy

 

7 yd

Check

Check

1..1..0

McLean, Andrew Esq.

24-Feb-76

Dr

To buy

 

15 yd

 

Oznaburghs

1..2..6

McLean, Andrew Esq.

8-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 1/4 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..1..6

McLean, Andrew Esq.

7-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

2 yd

 

Cloth

1..6..0

McLean, Andrew Esq.

25-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

Hatt

1 ea

 

 

0..3..3

McLean, Andrew Esq.

26-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

60 yd

 

Oznaburghs

4..10..0

Miller, William

19-Jan-76

Dr

To make

Breeches

 

 

Leather

0..6..0

Miller, William

3-Aug-76

Dr

To make

Waistcoat

 

 

 

0..5..0

Mooney, Mrs.

15-Mar-76

Cr

To buy

 

1 lb

 

Flax

0..1..0

Moore, James

2-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 lb

 

Flax

0..1..0

Moore, Richard

?/?/76

Cr

To buy

 

2 sides

 

Sole leather

0..12..7 1/2

Moore, Richard

?/?/77

Cr

To make

Shoes

1 pr

 

 

0..4..0

Perkins, Peter

24-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

Handkerchief

 

Cheque

Cheque

0..2..6

Perkins, Peter

4/??/76

Dr

To make

Breeches

 

 

Leather

0..6..2

Stewart, Capt. Sr.

27-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

14 yd

Check

Check

2..2..0

Stubbs, John

20-Apr-76

Dr

To buy

Cloath

8 yd

 

 

2..4..0

Thompson, Benjamin

5-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

4 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..4..0

Thompson, Benjamin

23-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

50 yd

 

Oznaburghs

2..10..0

Thompson, Benjamin

25-May-76

Dr

To buy

Buckles

1 pr

 

 

0..1..0

Thompson, Benjamin

25-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

7 1/2 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..7..6

Walton, John Esq.

11-Feb-76

Dr

To buy

Pocket handkerchiefs

6 ea

 

 

0..12..0

Walton, John Esq.

27-Feb-76

Dr

To buy

 

6 1/2 yd

Printed

Linen

0..14..1

Walton, John Esq.

27-Feb-76

Dr

To buy

 

8 yd

Printed

Cotton

0..16..0

Walton, John Esq.

13-Mar-76

Dr

To buy

 

115 yd

 

Oznaburghs

3..7..1

Walton, John Esq.

13-Mar-76

Dr

To buy

 

15 yd

 

Russia Drab

1..2..6

Walton, John Esq.

13-Mar-76

Dr

To buy

 

10 yd

Printed

Linen

1..1..8

Walton, John Esq.

7-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 3/4 yd

 

Broad Cloath

0..16..10 1/2

Walton, John Esq.

16-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

12 1/2 yd

Printed

Cotton

1..5..0

Walton, John Esq.

16-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

6 1/2 yd

 

Linen Calicoe

0..14..1

Walton, John Esq.

29-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

6 yd

 

Bath coating

1..0..7

Walton, John Esq.

29-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..0..7

Walton, John Esq.

29-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

Coat buttons

1 1/2 doz

 

 

0..1..0

Walton, John Esq.

29-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 oz

 

Thread

0..0..6

Walton, John Esq.

29-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 skain

 

Silk

0..0..4

Walton, John Esq.

29-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 skain

 

Twist

0..0..3

Walton, John Esq.

29-Jul-76

Dr

To make

French wide coat

 

 

 

0..12..0

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To make

Coat

 

Grey

 

0..9..0

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To make

Alter a coat

 

White

 

0..6..0

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To make

Waistcoat and breeches

 

 

 

0..13..6

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To make

Waistcoats

2 ea

 

Flannell

0..8..0

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To make

Riding dress (remake)

 

 

 

0..8..6

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

For grey coat

 

 

Thread, silk, buckram

0..4..0

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

For white coat

 

 

Thread, silk

0..1..6

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

For 3 waistcoats and breeches

 

 

 

0..4..0

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

3/4 yd

 

Linen

0..4..0

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 yd

Check

Check

0..2..6

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

For riding dress

 

 

Thread &c.

0..2..6

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

Shoes for Mrs. Walton

1 pr

 

Stuff

0..8..0

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

Shoes for Betsy

1 pr

 

Stuff

0..3..6

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

Shoes for Cleburn

1 pr

 

Leather

0..2..6

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

For Mrs. Walton

4 1/2 yd

Drab

Stuff

0..13..6

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

For Mrs. Walton

2 1/2 yd

Green

Stuff

0..7..6

Walton, John Esq.

27-May-76

Dr

To buy

Gloves

1 pr

 

 

0..4..0

Walton, John Esq.

28-Sep-76

Dr

To buy

Cotton Cards (omitted)

1 pr

 

Cotton

0..10..0

Williams, John

30-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

3 1/2 yd

 

Stuffs

0..12..3

Williams, John

30-May-76

Dr

To buy

Waistcoat buttons

2 doz

 

 

0..4..0

Williams, John

30-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

2 drams

 

Twist

0..0..10

Williams, John

30-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 skain

 

Silk

0..1..0

Williams, John

30-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1/4 yd

 

Buckram

0..0..10 1/2

Williams, John

30-May-76

Dr

To buy

 

1/4 yd

 

Oznaburgh

0..0..5

Williams, John

7-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

10 1/2 yd

Check

Check

1..6..3

Williams, John

7-Jun-76

Dr

To make

Waistcoat and breeches

 

 

 

0..11..0

Williams, John

7-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

 

 

Thread, silk, twist & buckram

0..2..6

Williams, John

29-Jul-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 1/2 yd

 

Frieze

0..11..3

Williams, John

24-Aug-76

Dr

To buy

 

5 yd

 

Oznaburghs

0..7..6

Wynn, Joshua

5-Jun-76

Dr

To make

Trowsers

2 pr

 

 

0..3..0

Wynn, Joshua

5-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

 

 

Thread

0..0..6

Wynn, Joshua

5-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

6 yd

Cheque

Cheque

0..15..0

Wynn, Joshua

15-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

5 yd

 

Bath coating

2..10..0

Wynn, Joshua

15-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 yd

 

Osnaburgh

0..1..6

Wynn, Joshua

15-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

Buttons

1 1/2 doz

 

 

0..3..9

Wynn, Joshua

15-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 oz

 

Thread

0..2..0

Wynn, Joshua

15-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

1/2 skain

 

Silk

0..0..6

Wynn, Joshua

15-Jun-76

Dr

To buy

 

1 dram

 

Twist

0..0..6

Wynn, Joshua

15-Jun-76

Dr

To make

Surtout Coat

 

 

 

0..10..0

 

The following tables show the predominance of cloth colors and their yardage.  Out of 212 records, only 44 mention a color.  The first chart (Table Two) sorts these materials by number of times the color is mentioned for the article.  (3 of the records show colors for a completed garment, rather than plain cloth.)  The second chart (Table Three) sorts the records by the amount of yardage recorded. 

 

William Manson Ledger—Table Two 

Cloth—Sorted by predominance of color mentioned

Color

Number

Yardage

Material

Check, Cheque

16

154.5*

Check(que)-13, Check Handkerchief-1, Check Cotton-1, Chequered Venetian-1

Print, Printed

7

74

Cotton-4, Linen-3

Brown

6

52.13

Drab-3, Broad Cloth-1, Stuff-1, Russia Drab-1

Blue

5

59.75

Frieze-1, Color of a coat to be altered-1, Stuffs-1, Durant-1, Broad cloth-1

White

5

14.13

Drilling-1, Russia Drab-2, Drab-1, Color of a coat to be altered-1

Bleached

1

22.25

Drab-1

Drab

1

4.5

Stuff-1

Green

1

2.5

Stuff-1

Grey

1

0

Color of a Coat to be made-1

Unbleached

1

1.5

Drab-1

Totals

44

385.26

 

*Check total includes 43.5 ells of cotton, not converted to yardage, but simply added to total as if it were 43.5 yards.  Actual total would be higher.

      

William Manson Ledger—Table Three 

Cloth—Sorted by predominance of yardage

Color

Yardage

Number

Material

Check, Cheque

154.5

16

Check (que)-13, Check Handkerchief-1, Check Cotton-1, Chequered Venetian-1

Print, Printed

74

7

Cotton-4, Linen-3

Blue

59.75

5

Frieze-1, Color of a coat to be altered-1, Stuffs-1, Durant-1, Broad cloth-1

Brown

52.13

6

Drab-3, Broad Cloth-1, Stuff-1, Russia Drab-1

Bleached

22.25

1

Drab-1

White

14.13

5

Drilling-1, Russia Drab-2, Drab-1, Color of a coat to be altered-1

Drab

4.5

1

Stuff-1

Green

2.5

1

Stuff-1

Unbleached

1.5

1

Drab-1

Grey

0

1

Color of a Coat to be made-1

Totals

385.26

44

 

*Check total includes 43.5 ells of cotton, not converted to yardage, but simply added to total as if it were 43.5 yards.  Actual total would be higher.

 

[Note that the total listed for check includes 43.5 ells of cotton, which was not converted to reflect actual yardage, but simply added to the total as if it were 43.5 yards of cloth.  The reason for this is that the width of an ell can vary from 40-45 inches, depending on locale.  Therefore, the actual total yardage could range from 159.33 to 165.38 yards.]  Total yardage of goods from all 212 entries is 944.25.  Again, the ells of cotton were added as regular yards.  

 
There is no description given in the ledger to better describe the particular pattern of check or print on any of the fabric, but it can be assumed that these factory loomed goods would be similar to any other example of middle 18th century English patterns.  Checks tended to be simple cross patterns, predominately single or double colored, with blue or red striping on a white or neutral background, while the prints tended to be more ornate, with floral or classical themes.  Of the solid colors, blue is the most predominant, followed by all other variations of white or natural fiber color.  Notably absent are any mentions of red or yellow cloth.  One can reasonably suppose that the natural colored fabrics were later died to the customer’s preference. One of Manson’s indentured servants was a dyer, so the people in the settlement had the option of dying their own cloth or hiring it done.
 
Table Four below highlights the specific types of clothing recorded in the ledger book.  The articles of clothing mentioned generally conform to expected types of clothing for white, English colonial inhabitants—shirt, waistcoat, breeches, and coat for men, and some variation of gown for women.  Although there is no detailed description of what is meant by each specific term for an article (i.e. “short coat” or “women’s gowns”) there is nothing to indicate that the cut of the various articles, would deviate from the norm of fashion at the time.  
 

Table Four  William Manson Ledger

Specific Articles of Clothing

Article (either to be made or purchased)

Amount

Leather Breeches

4

Silk Breeches

1

Breeches

4

Coat (includes altering 2)

3

Coat and Waistcoat

1

Pockets

1/2 yd

Riding dress

1

Women’s gowns

?

French wide coat

1

Gloves

2 pr

Handkerchief

28

Hat

6

Morning gown

1

Riding dress (remake)

1

Shirt

3

Shoes (3 for women)

5 pr

Short coat

1

Short coat and breeches

1

Short coat, waistcoat, and breeches

1

Stockings

1 pr

Suit of cloaths

2

Surtout Coat

1

Trowsers

2 pr

Waistcoat

3

Waistcoat and breeches

4

 
Two of the men’s articles, the “surtout coat” and the “French wide coat” do give some clue as to their construction, as do the women’s “morning gown” and “riding dress.”  
 
The surtout is usually defined as a large overcoat garment with long tails, and is also known as a great coat or caped coat, and the “French wide coat” is more than likely a similar garment.  What exactly made the coat “French” was probably an exercise by the tailor to style it after a French example, possibly with more elaborate trim or a more rakish cut.  This specific notation of style would seem to distinguish both the surtout and the wide coat types from the more trimly cut frock coat.  The term “short coat” similarly distinguishes itself from the common frock coat, and may refer to something like the well-known sleeved waistcoat, or may indicate a less generously tailored version of a frock coat.   
 
The lady’s morning gown or dress is usually considered to be a simpler, less formal garment to wear at home.  It is distinct from the common woman’s dress of layers of petticoats, shift, stays, and jacket.  It is also distinct from a lady’s eveningwear, or a gown or dress she might wear to travel.   The riding dress is a garment specifically for outdoor activewear, and indicates a wearer of a social class high enough for leisurely horseback riding or fox hunting.  It generally has a short, closely fitted military style coat or waistcoat, with looser draping of the lower skirt or petticoats, and less prominent panniers or side hoops.  Ladies’ fashion being constantly in flux, it is difficult to say with any more certainty the construction of these garments other than to say that there is no evidence that the clothing departed from what was customary for the times.
 
A CORROBORATING REFERENCE
 

Although contemporary portraits exist of various luminaries in Georgia history, there is very little in the way of depictions of common people which would allow a better idea of the clothing worn and serve as a way of verifying our assumptions.  However, we believe at least one drawing helps illustrate that the clothing recommendations we make are not inaccurate.

 

Farris W. Cadle’s book,  Georgia Land Surveying History and Law contains an illustration on pages 136-7 (click here to view—this image is copyright of Mr. Cadle) which is described as a plat of 887 acres in Franklin County surveyed for William Few in 1785.  The original map is held in the collection of the Georgia Department of Archives and History.  This illustration is interesting because for some reason, the surveyor included little cartoon drawings of the men of the survey party.

 

Although the time of the drawing is slightly past the end of the Revolution, we believe this illustration to be very pertinent to our recommendations, in that these sketches represent a contemporaneous look at persons living in the backcountry (Franklin County was established directly northwest of Wilkes County), dressed in clothing intended to be worn while working in the woods.  Obviously, this is only a small representation, but it does represent more information than we thought was previously available. 

 

The illustration of the plat shows the metes and bounds of the property, along with cartoons of four men; two chain carriers, one surveyor, and one man hunting.  Given the nature of the task and the area of the country, it can be assumed that the man hunting was also intended as a guard or picket in case of Indian attack, in addition to finding meat.

 

Descriptions of each man (descriptions of color are based upon differences in the shades of gray of the illustration):

 

1.  HUNTER: 

 

HAT-light colored round hat with brim flat and not cocked

 

HAIR-appears to be very long; plaited behind and tied

 

OUTERWEAR-very light colored garment which looks somewhat like a short jacket or sleeved waistcoat; waist length hem with rounded scallop on side; seven buttons visible on front (arm obscures area of chest which is proportioned so that possibly two more buttons would actually be on the front) with either long buttonholes or decorative tape trim extending to sides; line drawn around armpit extends to and down lapels, which may be either a seam or trimwork; cuffs dark

 

BREECHES-black knee length breeches with buckle on the side at knee; white line below knee could be either the breeches hem or top or stockings or gartering

 

FOOTWEAR-dark shoes or boots which appear to rise to below the calf, with the back portion on the calf higher than the front portion on the shin, may be shoes with spatterdashes; black stockings

 

2.  TRAILING CHAIN CARRIER:

 

HAT-black round hat with brim flat and not cocked

 

HAIR-medium color, somewhat curly; length to the neck and tied

 

OUTERWEAR-medium color; hem at waist; four lines of trimwork or buttonholes on front

 

BREECHES-light medium color knee length breeches; three or four buttons faintly visible at knee; dark band at bottom may be gartering or hem color

 

FOOTWEAR-black low quarter shoes; white stockings

 

3.  LEADING CHAIN CARRIER:

 

HAT-large black hat cocked back and sides; white edge banding

 

HAIR-medium color; length to shoulder, plaited and tied

 

OUTERWEAR-medium color; hip to waist length; appears to cut away like a frock coat but difficult to determine

 

BREECHES-black knee length breeches

 

FOOTWEAR-black low quarter shoes; white stockings

 

4.  SURVEYOR:

 

HAT-top is cropped from illustration, but appears to be black and cocked up

 

HAIR-light colored; no queue or ties visible

 

OUTERWEAR-black; long, thigh length tails; formed like a frock coat.  Slightly lighter shade in chest may indicate a lighter colored waistcoat

 

BREECHES-black knee length breeches

 

FOOTWEAR-black low quarter shoes; white stockings

 

Some conclusions we believe can be drawn from this illustration:

 

·        Even at this relatively late date (1785), long, plaited hair, cocked hats, knee breeches, and frock-styled coats were still being worn

 

·        Round hats were worn and relatively common

 

·        Clothing these men wore while working outdoors does not seem to be markedly different from what would be worn by those working in towns or shops

 

·        Light colored clothing was not seen as a detriment to a hunter (light hat, light coat)

 

·        Light colored banding around a hat brim was not just a military affectation

 

·        There was a relatively wide diversity of types of clothing worn, within the framework of the fashion of the day.

 

SUMMARY

 

Based upon the generally accepted scholarship available today, and in particular on the records of Captain William Manson and corroborated by the illustration of the Georgia survey party, we believe we are justified in making the statements and recommendations regarding the clothing to be worn by THE GEORGIA REFUGEES which is found on our website.  Following is an excerpt of our current clothing requirements.  For the purposes of this submission, information regarding specific vendors and information of a personal nature relating to the Refugees has been omitted.  If desired, the full text may be viewed online at https://georgiarefugees.tripod.com/

 

*****

The majority of military action in the Province and State of Georgia during the Revolution were carried out by the militia.  These men were not uniformed, wearing their own clothing and carrying their own weapons. The documentation of the clothing and accoutrements of these men is slim, but through research and educated guesses based upon incidental citations, we have assembled the following list. 

 

In general, the Wilkes Countians were lower and lower middle class farmers and tradesmen, along with a few townsmen.  The militia did not operate with a regular supply line, like the regular army did. 

 

Each Georgia Refugee’s impression should be an accurate portrayal of an individual, consistent in dress, manner, equipment and accoutrements for that person’s class and social station. 

 

Articles are broken down into uniform items, weapons, accouterments, and personal items.  Priority should be given to first procuring those items which create a complete visual impression--weapon, clothing, and shoes--before spending money on personal items (knapsack stuffers).   As a reminder, all visible stitching on clothing items should by handsewn, and all fabrics should be natural fibers (in order of preponderance—linen, wool, cotton, and hemp)

 

18th Century fashion generally dictated that a man, regardless of his station, should appear publicly dressed in a shirt, breeches, waistcoat, outer coat, and hat.  A man might remove his outer coat when doing heavy physical labor, but generally would not be seen in public without it.  A man without his coat and waistcoat on, and just his shirt would be considered immodestly clothed.  Among poor people, as well as the rich, there was a desire to dress fashionably, and there was a sizable market for used clothing.  Servant runaway descriptions many times refer to men and women wearing silks and velvets, however, these were most likely ragged hand-me-downs (or stolen).  Cloth being dear, it was not uncommon for clothing to be neatly pieced and patched.

 

There is a wide variety of clothing that can be worn within this framework and still be appropriate for a militia impression, but there are some things to avoid:  military-style overall trousers, “buckskinner” or longhunter styles of clothing, Highland garb, or clothing so old, mismatched and worn out that you would look like a servant (unless, of course, your impression IS OF a servant.)

 

Coat – Officers who raised their own units would generally have purchased their own military-style coats, but we have no reference for such wear among  the refugee units.   The men would have worn civilian coats appropriate to their station in life.  This could have included frock coats; jackets or short coats (usually from a frock coat pattern except shorter, simplified and often unlined); or sleeved waistcoat.

 

Overshirt – In order to protect their “good” clothing, some (but by no means all) of the men may have worn an overshirt (workman’s smock, waggoner’s smock), or other such article.  This would be constructed of either unbleached or colored heavy linen like a hunting shirt, except reaching to the knees and not having a cape or other such addendum.  These were usually a pullover type shirt to keep from having a belt.

 

Shirts – Plain (no ruffles) man’s shirt.  White, or a properly documented period check or stripe shirt-weight linen; a nicer one may be made in fine linen for dress if desired.

 

Neck Stock - Civilian stocks can be of standing pleated cloth, or simply a tied cloth, of just about any period fabric.  Since the size of the piece is small, fancier silks are possible.

 

Waistcoat – Civilian waistcoats are of many different materials, such as linen, leather, silk; and button types and patterns. Consistency with the person’s social class would tend to regulate what should be worn, and whether it matched the other clothing as a suit or if a hand-me-down.  For those who do not have a separate coat, the sleeved waistcoat is an alternative. Documented patterns, stripes, and colors are acceptable, as long as they are consistent with the overall impression.

 

Breeches – As with the waistcoat, the type, material and construction of the breeches would be very much a matter of social class.  Knee breeches and broadfall trousers would have been available, but overalls would not be worn except by soldiers.  Documented patterns, stripes, and colors are acceptable, as long as they are consistent with the overall impression.

 

Hat -  One more thing that heavily depends upon the type of person being portrayed.  Straw, felt, cloth, leather, knit wool, etc., would have been available, and may have been worn cocked, slouched, or flopped; any documented type and material are acceptable, as long as they are consistent with your overall impression.

 

Hair - If you have hair long enough to club it in the 18th century style, feel free to do so.  Otherwise, a clubbed wig from Godwin would be an alternative.  It should be styled to appear as your own hair, properly clubbed.  Remember to take into account the extra size of your new head when it comes time to order your hat.  

 

Wigs were generally common, but for those with their own hair, it was generally short on top, with the sides and back long in order to make a queue.  There is little evidence for any sort of very short modern “buzzcut” being worn purposely, although those suffering from vermin or the effects of a tarring and feathering might have had to cut their hair short.

 

A possible alternative to a full wig is based upon an interesting historical sidenote.  Newspapers of the time regularly published runaway servant descriptions, and several of these include the information that the servant had a queue of his own hair that he would sometimes wear, and at other times remove.  From the context, this doesn’t look to have been something uncommon, but we haven’t found a reference (yet) as to why this was done; we speculate that it was easier to keep the hair dressed while working, and allowed a queue for fancier occasions.  This does offer a possible alternative to a full wig in the form of the clip-in hair extensions sold by beauty supply houses.  If your hair is full enough, these can be clubbed then clipped in or attached with an elastic band, and appear to be very much your own hair.  These are made of various materials, including real human hair that can be matched to your own. 

 

Beards and mustaches were not at all common.  If you have a nice set of whiskers, they will need to be trimmed down to no more than a three-day length.  This is one of the sacrifices that must be made to present an authentic appearance.  It will grow back.

 

Stockings - Get at least two pair to start, may be any period correct color and should rise above the knee. Should be hand knit (wool), but there are examples of sewn fabric (wool, linsey-woolsey, or linen).  Clocking, if present, may be somewhat showy, but must done in a documented pattern. 

 

Shoes - Shoes should be straight-lasted with moderately rounded toes; for field duty they should be rough-side out, with iron heel plates or hobnails.  Pegged soles are not appropriate.  Although other civilian styles are available and appropriate, remember that we will be outdoors and fancy shoes will be ruined.  Left-and-rights should be avoided unless you have real podiatric problems.

 

Eyeglasses - One thing that must be remembered is that most (but not all) eyeglasses were made for folks who were farsighted and needed help seeing up close, i.e. reading glasses.  Therefore, the frame sizes were generally small, and the interpupilary distance was geared toward reading.  This is fine if you are farsighted, but those who are severely nearsighted will have some troubles.  Colonial Williamsburg has a period frame for $95, which is very similar to that sold by Townsend.  From personal experience, these look fine from a distance, but up close they are very apparently modern.  Also, they only come in one size.  Eyeglasses did not come in just one size, and in just one size of lens, and in just one interpupilary distance–so caveat emptor.  IF you are nearsighted, these are almost impossible to be useful for vision.  Other details that you should note are that the temples were generally flat and single or double hinged, and there are no nose pads. Materials could be horn, silver, gold, or japanned brass.  Not appropriate are the thin spring wire temples and frames common to the 19th Century American Civil War period, or the sliding temple frames.  The sliders came a bit after our timeframe, and did not truly become common until the 19th Century.

 

*****
 

 

HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The military history of Georgia has often been overlooked in the greater picture of the American Revolution.  Several reasons for this include the fact that Georgia was relatively poor; its few Continental units were badly armed, clothed, and led; no large scale maneuvers occurred except for the investment of Savannah; and the majority of military actions carried on in the state were conducted by militia.  Georgia was the only colony or state to nominally revert to Royal rule during the Revolution.   However, the hold on the state by the British was tenuous, and outside of the few counties near the coast, the remaining territory of the state to the north and west , including Wilkes County, remained under the control of a rebel government in exile.  This small American toehold kept the flank of the colonies from crumbling, and the victories of militia troops at Kettle Creek, Georgia and King’s Mountain, South Carolina paved the way for the eventual victory of Washington over Cornwallis at Yorktown. 

 

In addition to the threat of British troops, the inhabitants of the back country of Georgia also had to fend off frequent attacks from hostile Creek and Cherokee Indians, and savage bouts of internecine warfare between bands of Loyalists and Whigs—effectively a civil war in the midst of the larger conflict.

 

We will attempt to document this state of affairs, and the workings of the Wilkes County militia, based upon information gathered from a wide variety of sources.  We believe these sources sufficiently document the actions and actors of the Wilkes County militia during the Revolution, and justify our presentation of them.

 

INDIAN TREATIES AFFECTING THE BACK COUNTRY OF GEORGIA

 

“In 1773 the Treaty of Augusta, concluded at the request of both Cherokee and Creek Indians, ceded more than 2,000,000 tribal acres in Georgia to relieve a seemingly hopeless Indian indebtedness to white traders. In 1775 the Overhill Cherokee were persuaded at the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals to sell an enormous tract of land in central Kentucky. Although this agreement with the Transylvania Land Company violated British law, it nevertheless became the basis for the white takeover of that area. Threatened by colonial encroachment upon their hunting grounds, the Cherokee announced at the beginning of the American Revolution their determination to support the crown. Despite British attempts to restrain them, in July 1776 a force of 700 Cherokee under Chief Dragging-canoe attacked two U.S.-held forts in North Carolina: Eaton’s Station and Ft. Watauga. Both assaults failed, and the tribe retreated in disgrace. These raids set off a series of attacks by Cherokee, Creek, and Choctaw on frontier towns, eliciting a vigorous response by militia and regulars of the Southern states during September and October. At the end of this time, Cherokee power was broken, crops and villages destroyed, and warriors dispersed. The humiliated Indians could win peace only by surrendering vast tracts of territory in North and South Carolina at

the Treaty of DeWitt’s Corner (May 20, 1777) and the Treaty of Long Island of Holston (July 20, 1777). As a result, peace reigned on this frontier for the next two years. When Cherokee raids flared up again in 1780 during American preoccupation with British armed forces elsewhere, punitive action led by Col. Arthur Campbell and Col. John Sevier soon brought them to terms again. At the second Treaty of Long Island of Holston (July 26, 1781), previous land cessions were confirmed and additional territory yielded.” [1]

 

INTRODUCTION OF MEN OF NOTE

 

After the Treaty of Augusta was signed, the area known as the Ceded Lands and was opened officially to settlement.  Thomas Brown came from England with over 75 slaves and indentured servants. The Dooly brothers, John and Thomas, and Elijah Clarke crossed the Savannah River to set up farms.  By 1775 the frontier counted over 300 families, mostly from the Carolinas. Among them was a young man named John Cunningham. All these characters were to play essential roles in the struggle for the area that would later be known as Wilkes County, and the men who would fight for it would dub “The Hornet’s Nest.”

 

As the rift of the Colonies with Britain widened, the settlers of the Ceded Lands were themselves split on the issue of independence. Thomas Brown, only recently arrived from England, was tarred and feathered (and nearly killed) in Augusta for his allegiance to the Crown. Known thereafter as “Burnt Foot Brown,” he was later to lead a brilliant backcountry campaign against the Whigs that nearly drove them out of Georgia. The Native American population leaned towards the Crown in order to maintain their positive trade relations with the British.

 

A HISTORICAL TIMELINE

 

At this point in our documentation, we believe a better understanding of the events in the Ceded Lands/Wilkes County can be gained by using the format of a chronological timeline of military actions within the State of Georgia.  The following timeline is a compilation of material from a variety of sources, the majority found on the Internet.  The accuracy of the information is generally acceptable, but we are certain that there are some entries that may change with further scholarship.  The use of divergent sources also means that some of the information reads with different grammar from spot to spot in this document. 

 

The sources mentioned often call the same military action or incident by several different titles, such as “Battle of...” or “Engagement at..” “Siege...” etc.  Often the term “battle” was applied to anything from the ambush of a militia scout party by a cow to full-scale combat by thousands of troops.  In general, the more information available about an action, and the more troops involved, lead to a designation of an action as a battle; likewise, the presence of few troops or little information cause an action to be labeled as an engagement.

 

The intent of this chronology is simply to create a framework of information regarding the service of various Georgia militia units during the course of the Revolution, including their often fractious relationship with their companion Continental regiments; to record sundry contemporary information which would effect Georgia units; and to place people and events accurately in time.  

 

Also note, the individual entries are not footnoted in the proper academic style.  As we note on our website, if we have posted anything for which the copyright holders would prefer a more detailed citation, we will be happy to correct the entry.  Although we have edited all these items together into one list, THE GEORGIA REFUGEES do not claim authorship for the individual items in the list. 

 

1775

 

Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia began 1775 without significant British garrisons. They were under British governors, however, and regular troops were nearby in Florida. Like their northern neighbors, the southern colonies soon replaced their Royal governments with new political bodies. The new governments raised troops as soon as the deposed governors posed a military or naval threat. Because these early colonial efforts were undertaken with minimal supervision by the Continental Congress, a diversity of regimental organizations emerged. That diversity was wider in the south than it had been in New England and New York because the southern colonies were less homogeneous and had accumulated more varied experiences in the colonial wars.

  

1776

 

2 January—Georgia Provincial Congress Council of Safety authorizes order for 400 stand of arms with bayonets, 20,000 pounds of gunpowder, 60,000 pounds of ball, bullets, bar lead, grape, swan and goose shot.   It is not noted if this materiel is intended for militia, state, or Continental use.

 

8 January—Council of Safety orders the confiscation of firearms and powder from all overseers and negroes in the Province (the exception being overseers, who were allowed to retain one gun and 13 cartridges).

  

Georgia, like North Carolina, waited for congressional support before risking military action. It had only 3,000 males of military age and was the most exposed colony. When Congress authorized South Carolina’s three regiments on 4 November 1775, it also directed Georgia to raise a standard infantry regiment. Because communications with the colony took so long, its Provincial Congress was allowed to appoint all officers, not just those of company-grade. After factions within the Provincial Congress fought for control of the regiment, a compromise gave command to Lachlan McIntosh, the leader of the Scottish element in the colony. Two representatives of the Savannah mercantile interests were named as the other field officers. Most of the company positions went to sons of the planters who constituted the “Country Party.” The Provincial Congress and the state government that succeeded it caused continual troubles for senior Continental officers by asserting a right to retain an interest in the regiment’s affairs.

 

15 May—GEORGIA PROVINCIAL ARTILLERY COMPANY (GA PROV ARTY) organized in the Georgia State Troops

 

June—GA Horse expanded in to consist of the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th TROOPS OF GEORGIA HORSE

 

4 July—Declaration of Independence

 

5 July—GA RGT redesignated as the 1st GEORGIA REGIMENT (1st GA)

 

5 July—2d GEORGIA REGIMENT(2d GA), 3d GEORGIA REGIMENT (3d GA),1st GEORGIA CONTINENTAL ARTILLERY (1st GA ARTY), and 2d GEORGIA CONTINENTAL ARTILLERY (2d GA ARTY) authorized in the Continental Army and assigned to the Southern Department

 

24 July—GA Horse adopted into the Continental Army; concurrently redesignated as the GEORGIA REGIMENT OF HORSE RANGERS (GA RGR), assigned to the Southern Department, and expanded to consist of ten troops

 

10 August—Declaration of Independence publicly read in Savannah by Archibald Bulloch

 

August- May 1777—First Florida Expedition; Georgia south of Ossawba Sound; East Florida.

 

The First Florida Expedition departed in August 1776, shortly after word of the Declaration reached the state of Georgia.  The expeditionary forces built a line of forts between Georgia and Florida, including Forts Howe and McIntosh, and additional forts at Darien and Beard’s Bluff.   Indians attacked a detachment of men while on the way to Beard’s Bluff.  Commander John Baker later is betrayed by two guards who steal the expedition’s horses and leave the Americans unprotected in the swamps of south Georgia. One of these guards, Daniel McGirth, will become “noted” for a career of rape and murder.

 

In a letter dated 10 May, 1790, Henry Knox reported to Congress a complete accounting of the amount of Continental Line troops serving in Georgia, along with an estimate of the number of state and militia forces.  For the year 1775, no Continental troops served in Georgia units, and there were estimated to be 1000 militia members, who had signed for 9 months of service. These figures from Knox’s letter will be shown at the end of each year in the chronology.  Per Knox’s letter (hereafter “Knox”), 351 troops of Continentals, 750 militia members, and 1,200 state troops served in the year 1776.

 

1777

 

1 January—GA RGR reorganized to consist of twelve troops

 

29 January—Engagement at Augusta

 

1 February—4th GEORGIA REGIMENT (4th GA) authorized in the Continental Army and assigned to the Southern Department

 

2-4 February—Engagement at Fort McIntosh

 

6 February—GA PROV ARTY adopted into the Continental Army and redesignated as the 3d GEORGIA CONTINENTAL ARTILLERY COMPANY (3d GA ARTY) and assigned to the Southern Department.

 

23 February-15 March—Engagements at Fort McIntosh on the Sautilla

 

April—Second Florida Expedition departs

 

By 1777, the Whig government in Georgia began to factionalize.  The conservatives, known as “town Whigs,” are led by Lachlan McIntosh and his brother George.  The radicals, known as “country Whigs,” are led by Button Gwinnett.    In this climate of acrimony, a Second Florida Expedition is authorized to leave for Florida in mid-April, 1777.  When the expedition elected McIntosh to be its leader, a series of events was set in motion that eventually lead to the death of Gwinnett.  Colonel Samuel Ebert is placed in command of the force after the Gwinnett and McIntosh return to Savannah to settle their bitter dispute.  The expedition returned in late May, finding Gwinnett had died from gangrene, the result of bullet wound in his leg suffered during a duel with McIntosh.

 

4 May—Engagement at Altamaha River

 

26 May—Second Florida Expedition returns

 

July—Engagement at Wilkes County

 

22 July—Engagement at Oconee River

 

On July 22, 1777, Captain Thomas Dooly led a company of militia into the western extremities of the Ceded Lands. His second in command was Lt. John Cunningham.  Dooly decided to attack a large band of Creeks along the Oconee River. The attack was roundly repelled; Dooly and three others were left by their fleeing comrades, to later be tortured to death. Cunningham was arrested and tried for cowardice, he claimed to have been swept up by the rout of his men. His defense must have been convincing, as he was acquitted.  (The deposition of one of the participants, and a reference to Cunningham’s successful acquittal can be read in the Timeline section)

 

The Georgia Militia combined with units in Western South Carolina in a savage campaign against the Cherokees and Northern Creeks. John Dooly gained a reputation as a bloodthirsty avenger of his brother’s death. Andrew Pickens and Elijah Clarke also became recognized as effective leaders during the expedition. The war was brought to the native’s home country along the Tugaloo and Chattahoochee River. Their villages were razed, crops were destroyed and game driven out. Faced with starvation, the Cherokees capitulated and the Creeks withdrew further into their nation and were effectively neutralized as an immediate threat.

 

Following is a deposition given against John Cunningham by Isham Ward regarding the action at the Oconee River.  The person receiving the deposition is not named.  (Source: Revolutionary Memoirs and Muster Rolls, Mary Bondurant Warren, ed. 1994, Heritage Papers, Athens, Georgia)

 

Georgia

Wilkes County

 

Personally appeared before me Isham Ward, & being of full age was Duly sworn and Declareth that on Tuesday the 22 of July last About seven o’clock in the morning Capt. Thomas Dooley [sic, Dooly] of the 3rd Battalion of foot for the state with three men and Lieut. John Cunningham of the 2nd Battalion of foot with Seventeen Men where attacked and fired on by a party of Indians a few miles off the Oconey [sic] River.

 

That Capt. Dooley and his Men were in the front when the Attack began Lieut. Cunningham and his men in the rear. That after about two shots being Exchanged from the Whites he the Deponent saw Lieut. Cunningham at the head of about 4 Men running off and at the same time he the Deponent Saw some person who he Expected was an Officer Say Boys make Your Escape upon which Capt Dooley Discovering to the men in Loud words by no Means not to Leave him.

 

This Deponent further Saith that he thinks on the first fire Capt. Dooley Received a wound which he thinks Disabled him so much as not to Stand as he the  Deponent saw Capt. Dooley twice fire in a Sitting posture on the Ground.

 

This Deponent further Saith that Capt. Dooley Calling to Lieut. Cunningham & the first party that  was Running Availed Nothing, but that they still continued Running upon which the Whites Continued to retreat until this Deponent saith he thinks there was not more than seven or Eight White men Left on the Ground upon which the Deponent made his Escape and further Saith not—

Isham Ward

 

Sworn to before me this 11th August (1777)

 

-------------------------------

 

The following letters are from the Order Book of Colonel Samuel Elbert, commander of the 2d Regiment:

 

(To General McIntosh)

 

Augusta, 9th September, 1777.

 

Dear Sir:  I wrote you pr return Sikes & a few lines by Lieut. Bilbo since which I have not heard from you.  I am just returned from visiting the Forts on the western Frontiers but could find no signs of any Indians near them; they are crowded with the inhabitants who have not yet returned to their habitations which they quit at the late alarm when Capt. Dooly and others were killed.  Inclosed [sic] are some papers respecting Lieut. Cunningham, who I begin to think behaved better in the action than was at first represented; he remains under arrest at Wrightsborough.  Captain Dooley [sic] & Pannell with Lieut. Booker are now prisoners with me on their parole; you will please pr. return of the bearer, give me positive order what to do with them.  I am in hopes the matter may be overlooked as the Indians are by this safe in their own Nation & the gentlemen very sensible of their error in what has been done.  Poor Dooley had lost a brother; Pannell went as a piece [sic] maker to prevent mischief.  Booker & Bilbo, two giddy young men—in fact I think the end answered in putting them under arrest, as it please. 

 

About half of my regiment are now sick in Wrightsborough, the most of them on the recovery, those fit for duty are disposed of as under.  Mrs. Elbert being in a situation which requires her being in Savannah the latter end of this month, I hope you will find it convenient to let me return there shortly.  I suppose Colo. Stirk waits your orders; I will be obliged to you to let him have them.  I wish you happy, & am, dr. General.

 

Your most obedt. servt.

 

S. ELBERT

 

--------------------------------

 

After Orders.

 

Headquarters, 13th Oct., 1777.

 

The general court-martial of which Colo. Habersham was president is approved & dissolved; the court having made the most strict inquiry into the conduct of Lieut. Cunningham of the 2d Battalion respecting the charge brought against him of cowardice in a late skirmish with the enemy, and after examining several witnesses on the occasion, report as their opinion “that Lieut. Cunningham acquitted himself in the said engagement with the honor & valor becoming an officer.”  The commanding officer is happy in agreeing with the above report & orders that Lieut. Cunningham immediately joins his regiment.  Andrew Hays, William Asbey and John Asbey of the Light Horse, John Wright of the Artillery, & Thomas Hodge of the 2d Battalion are ordered to receive the punishment to which they were severally sentenced by the court, this afternoon on the parade, in the presence of all the Continental Troops in town to be drawn out on the occasion; those who belong to the corps having no person present are to be kept in confinement till they can be delivered to the care of their proper officers.  Thomas Dunivant, Michael Hugen & Sergt. Gore to be severely reprimanded and discharged.

  

Per Knox, 1,423 Continentals and 750 militia in service for year 1777.

 

1778

 

6 January—France allies with the United States

 

19 February—1st GA ARTY and 3d GA ARTY consolidated and redesignated as 1st GA ARTY.

 

6 April—Third Florida Expedition departs

 

In April 1778, a group of 500 Tories moved through South Carolina and Georgia, destroying property and killing Loyalists. A Third Florida Expedition is planned when word of a definite invasion from the Florida stronghold reaches Georgia.  Colonel Elbert moved out on April 6, 1778, shortly capturing the British vessels Hinchinbrooke and Rebecca, which may have been supporting the Loyalist movement.

 

This expedition has no lack of leaders, among them Robert Howe, Governor John Houstoun, Colonel Andrew Williamson and Commodore Oliver Bowen, each of whom, essentially, refused to take orders from the others. When the Florida Rangers retreated as the expedition approached, Howe and Bowen turned back, and Houstoun and Williamson were forced to follow because they did not feel they could take on the Rangers by themselves.

 

22 June—Engagement at Ogeechee River

 

July—Third Florida Expedition returns

 

August—Engagement at Nail’s Fort, Wilkes County

 

November—Engagement at Nail’s Fort, Wilkes County

 

23 December—British force lands on Tybee Island

 

Henry Clinton, in charge of British troop in America, is ordered to move to the South. Intelligence reports in Britain indicated that both Georgia and South Carolina have a large Loyalist population who will side with the British. However, to move meant Clinton would have to reduce his manpower in the North, leaving his troops in the northern theater vulnerable to attack by George Washington.

 

Clinton and his advisors come up with a plan, and sent troops to Savannah. The troops from New York, under the command of Lt. Colonel Archibald Campbell, arrived at Tybee Island on December 23, 1778, a month later than scheduled.  Forces from St. Augustine under the command of Augustine Prevost joined them and together they marched on Savannah.

 

29 December—British capture Savannah

 

Relying on the difficulties of the ground, American General Robert Howe of North Carolina, with only 700 Continental Line and local militiamen, made a feeble attempt to defend the city.  The troops offered resistance to a disciplined British corps, ably commanded, and more than three times as numerous as his own; but, on the 29th December, a British party, guided by a Negro (Quamino Dolly) through a swamp, made a simultaneous attack on the Americans in front and rear, and drove them into a precipitate retreat. As the British forces attacked, the local militias fled leaving the Continentals with little alternative but retreat.  With troops in their rear, the American defense was broken.  With the loss of well over 550 men (100 killed, 450 captured), and all the artillery, Howe was forced to retire into South Carolina.  With a loss of but nine killed and 17 wounded, the British gained the capital of Georgia.  British Lt.-Col. Archibald Campbell promised protection to the inhabitants, but only on condition that “they would support the royal government with their arms.” The captive soldiers, refusing to enlist in the British service, were crowded on board prison-ships, to be swept away by infection. Many civilians submitted; determined republicans found an asylum in the western parts of the state. 

 

Per Knox, 673 Continentals, 1,200 state troops, and 2,000 militia enlisted for 6 months in service for the year 1778.

 

1779

 

31 January—British capture Augusta

 

Early in January 1779, British Brig.-Gen. Augustine Prevost (British Commander in Florida) marched north on the “Old Post Road” from Savannah, reducing Sunbury on the way to support British Lt. Col. Archibald Campbell, who subsequently took possession of Augusta on 29 January.  Augusta was a strategically important town situated on the Savannah River. The province of Georgia appeared to be restored to the crown.

 

3 February—Engagement at Augusta

 

February—Engagement at Kiokee Creek

 

9 February—Engagement at Middleton’s Ferry

 

9 February—Engagement at Brownsborough

 

10 February—Engagement at Van[n]’s Creek (Cherokee Ford)

 

8-10 February—Engagement at Carr’s Fort

 

14 February—British withdraw from Augusta

 

14 February—Battle of Kettle Creek (Militia action)

 

The backwoods of Georgia held challenges for the British Army in Georgia.  Many people in Georgia were strongly anti-British, so when Colonel Boyd and 700 Loyalists set up camp along Kettle Creek on February 14, 1779, they know to be prepared for an attack. Only a couple of days before, on February 11, 100 Patriots attacked them while crossing Van(n)’s Creek, in spite of being outnumbered.

 

Things were not going well for these Loyalists.  Boyd expected additional men to assist in a strike against the Patriots. His men were not regulars and dissension filled the ranks. Also, the skirmish at Vann’s Creek alerted Colonels John Dooly and Andrew Pickens to the Loyalist’s presence in Wilkes County.  As was the custom, the Loyalist sent scavengers out to find food.  On the morning of the battle, about 150 men are out searching for food when Pickens attacks.

 

With a combined total of 340 men, the Americans attacked in three columns, with Col. Dooly on the right, Pickens in the middle and Elijah Clarke, Dooly’s second in command on the left. A small advance guard was sent in front of the columns to scout the enemy.  Col. Pickens scouts surprised Boyd’s Loyalist sentries and opened fire.

 

Alerted to the attack by the sound of gunfire, Boyd rallied his men and advanced with a small group to the top of a nearby hill, where they waited behind rocks and fallen trees for the Patriots. To the left and right, the men under command of Dooly and Clarke had problems crossing the high water of the creek and nearby swamps.

 

Pickens continued his advance to the fence on top of the hill, where Boyd’s men awaited the advancing Americans. On the approach of Pickens, the Loyalists opened fire. Clarke and Dooly, unable to advance quickly through the cane, were helpless.  By all accounts, outnumbered and caught by surprise, the Patriots appeared to be losing the battle.

 

After the successful ambush, Boyd ordered his men to retreat to the camp by Kettle Creek then fell to the ground, having been mortally wounded by a musket ball.  Seeing this, his troops panicked and an orderly withdrawal turned into a nightmare for the 600 men under his command.

 

Pickens rallied and advanced his men toward the Loyalist camp.  At the same time, Dooly’s men emerged from the swamp.  Surrounded on three fronts, with the creek to their back, about 450 Tories followed Boyd’s second in command, Major Spurgen, across Kettle Creek.

 

While the Loyalists crossed the creek, Lt. Col Elijah Clarke emerged on the other side and charged with 50 men. The Loyalists fled, soundly defeated.

 

Total losses in the battle: Loyalist— 40-70 dead, 70 captured; Patriots— 9 dead, 23 wounded.  The men who fled the battlefield eventually made their way back to Wrightsville, although some were captured and hanged later that year. Pickens, who became famous for his many battles in the Revolution would later write that Kettle Creek was the “severest chastisement” for the Loyalists in South Carolina and Georgia. Dooly was later brutally murdered by British army troops.

 

18 February—Engagement at Herbert’s Store

 

22 February—Engagement at Thomas’s Plantation

 

3 March—Battle of Brier (Briar) Creek (Militia action)

 

On the same day that Colonel Boyd was defeated at Kettle Creek, and Colonel Archibald Campbell withdrew from Augusta, a large force of North Carolina Tories appeared across the river from the Augusta outpost on the Georgia frontier.  A planned rendezvous with Campbell at Wrightsville by Boyd’s Loyalists led to the capture of some of Boyd’s men when Colonel Campbell unexpectedly failed to show up. 

 

The North Carolina Tories, under the command of General John Ashe, smelled blood. With the victory at Kettle Creek, Ashe’s men were are hot on the trail of Campbell’s loyalists.  Unknown to Ashe, however, was that Campbell had received reinforcements from Savannah under the command of General Augustine Prevost.  Together the British forces totaled 2,300 men, although less than a thousand participated in the battle.

 

Camping at the confluence of Brier Creek and the Savannah River, Ashe’s men were caught unaware by hundreds of handpicked soldiers and loyalist militia on March 3, 1779.  The Tories from North Carolina, along with their commander, Ashe, fled.  Only Colonel Samuel Elbert and his troops remained.  Outnumbered and overpowered, the men defended the camp until almost all were dead.  The late afternoon action ended at sunset, with the rebel forces suffering a humiliating defeat. Almost 400 Americans were killed or captured, while the British only lost 5 men.

 

Elbert, who would eventually be elected governor of Georgia, was captured and served time in a British prison until his release in 1781.

 

March—Engagement at Fort Morgan

 

March—Engagement at Newsome’s Fort

 

20 March—Engagement at Abercorn Creek

 

22 March—Engagement at Rocky Comfort Creek

 

29 March—Continental Congress adopts “Regulations For The Order And Discipline of The Troops of The United States” (von Steuben’s Drill Manual)

 

July—Engagement at Wilkes County

 

23 September—Allied forces invest siege of Savannah

 

9 October—Savannah attacked by Allied forces and repulsed by British

 

Per Knox, 87 Continental troops and 750 militia in service in 1779.

 

1780

 

20 January—Reorganization of Georgia state line troops and consolidation with Continental line troops.

 

Georgia’s troops suffered virtual annihilation during the winter of 1778-79 when the British overran that state in a new offensive. Congress finally empowered Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, who had assumed command of the Southern Department on 4 December 1778, to consolidate the two state lines and to organize them under the new regimental structure. Local political jealousies blocked action until 20 January 1780.  Lincoln reorganized the Georgia units, now existing only on paper, as one infantry regiment and one regiment of mounted rangers.

 

28 March—Engagement at Ogeechee River

 

1 April—British invest siege of Charleston, South Carolina

 

12 May—American army surrenders at Charleston.

 

May—British recapture Augusta

 

June—Engagement at Dooly’s Fort

 

30 June—Engagement at Fort Anderson

 

23 July—Second Engagement at Fort Anderson

 

August—Second Engagement at Dooly’s Fort

 

September-October—Engagements in Wilkes County

 

14 September—Engagement at Fort Cornwallis, Fort Grierson

 

14-18 September—Battle at McKay’s Trading Post (White House), Augusta

  

14 October—Nathanael Greene promoted to Southern Department commander

 

Per Knox, no Continental troops and 750 militia in service in 1780.

 

1781

 

23-24 January—Engagement at Wiggan’s (Wiggin’s) Plantation

 

April—Engagement at Wiggan’s (Wiggin’s) Hill

 

In April, 1781, the Light Company (2/84) under the command of Captain Ronald McKinnon, participated in a skirmish at Wiggan’s Hill, south of Augusta, above the Savannah River.  This fight would have been lost to history except for the cruelty delivered unto the rebel prisoners taken there. The only reason the incident was recorded in rebel documents was because of the humanity Captain McKinnon displayed in trying to stop an act of barbarity.

 

The fortified town of Augusta received most of its supplies from traffic on the Savannah River. A rebel party of South Carolina militia under the command of a Captain Johnson and Georgia militia under Captain James McKay had taken up positions in the swamps of the river and intercepted unescorted boats, which they pillaged and  sank.  The British forces under the command of Colonel of Militia Brown could not tolerate such interference and sent a small party of 10 to 25 King’s Rangers and 20 militia, under the command of Lieutenant Kemp, to kill the rebel pirates hiding in the swamp.   They were the  vanguard of an expedition led by Captain Alexander Wylly.  Lieutenant Kemp hired a guide named Willie to take him to McKay’s camp on Matthew’s Bluff.  Willie had alerted McKay and Kemp’s troopers rode into an ambush.  The British militia all fled without firing a shot, and the Rangers surrendered.  McKay asked Kemp to join him, Kemp refused, and he was shot.  The same fate happened to each of the other Rangers, except one, who pretended to join McKay, then escaped at the first chance and told Brown what had happened.

 

Brown ordered his Loyalist militia to Augusta to defend it against a possible attack from a large party of Marion’s Partisans under Lieutenant Colonel William Harden, who was operating in the general area. Many men of the Loyalist militia deserted in preference to being besieged and possibly captured and executed.  The only reliable troops present to defend the town were his own provincials and the 84th Light Infantry Company. 

 

As soon as Captain Wylly knew where the raiders were he informed Brown who marched sixty miles from Augusta, in two days.  On the way one hundred Loyalist militia joined him.  Brown had knowledge as to the general location of Harden and his rebels.  Brown sent Indian scouts to pinpoint Harden’s camp and then planned to attack and destroy Harden, once and for all.  The first night out, Brown camped in a field at Wiggan’s Hill, about 30 miles from Black Swamp.  Unbeknownst to both sides, they were encamped within one mile of each other.  Harden had been joined by Captains Johnson and McKay with their small forces. Harden’s scouts located the Loyalist camp first.  Harden promptly moved to attack the Crown camp shortly after midnight, terrifying the militia of the camp.  During the battle, many of the Loyalist militia deserted over to Harden, who attacked again the next day with his “new” reinforcements.

 

The next morning at eight o’clock Colonel Harden struck again.  His men dismounted then engaged the British with rifle fire.  The British pickets detected the attack and beat the troops to arms. When the rebels attacked in disorder, they found the King’s men formed and waiting for them.  Brown ordered his Rangers and Indians to charge, scattering Harden’s men.  In the half hour that followed, Harden’s men were decimated by superior firepower and discipline (the rebels claimed superior numbers, but this is unlikely).  Harden retreated, carrying off his wounded and sought refuge in the swamp.  The Americans claimed both sides lost seven killed and eleven wounded.

 

Many rebel prisoners were taken during the two days of battle. One rebel, Leonard Tanner, was murdered by the Tories because he would not reveal where the rebel camp was in the swamp.  Willie, the scout who led Lieutenant Kemp to Matthew’s Bluff, was accused of treachery by the Tories and alleged by the rebels to have been turned over to the Indians who “ripped him open with their knives in Brown’s presence and tortured him to death.” Brown claimed that Willie was killed instantly with a tomahawk by the Indian chief because of his betrayal. The latter is more likely true.

 

The other prisoners taken were Rannal McKay (son of the rebel captain), Britton Williams, George Smith, George Reed, a Frenchman whose name was not known and seven others whose names were not recorded. These twelve rebels Brown ordered to be hanged the following day in retaliation for the murder of Kemp and his party a few days earlier.  That night, McKay’s mother came to camp to plead for her son’s life. Brown received her, but refused her plea. Things became uncivil, and Mrs. McKay was escorted out of camp.  McKinnon, according to Mrs. McKay, gave her his assurance that he would intervene and that her son would be safe.  Captain McKinnon pleaded for Brown to spare the youth, who was only 13 years old.  Brown told McKinnon that the hanging was a matter that did not concern him.  Mrs. McKay later returned to camp, but this time was not permitted entry.  When time came for the sentence to be carried out, McKinnon, who had greatly opposed the pending execution, was ordered by Brown, his commanding officer, to stand aside.  Then, according to rebel reports, the prisoners were hung until nearly dead, cut down, and delivered to the Indians, “who scalped them and otherwise abused their bodies in their accustomed savage manner.”

 

To complete his revenge, Brown ordered the houses of the dead rebels to be burned.  Brown then ordered that all of the local inhabitants be turned out of their homes for supporting the rebels.  Their houses were then looted by the Tories and all of the buildings torched.  McKinnon, a professional soldier of long service, had little stomach for partisan warfare and the barbarities that the civilian combatants waged upon each other.

 

After the threat to Augusta passed, the Light Company marched to join Rawdon, who was engaged at Hobkirks’ Hill, but did not arrive in time. The withdrawal of the Light Company from Augusta weakened the defenses and, thus, made it a tempting target. The Americans besieged Augusta and the fort surrendered with terms in June.

 

14 April—Engagement at Great Ogeechee River

 

16 April—Americans invest siege of Augusta

 

23-24 May—Second Engagement at Fort Grierson

 

23 May-5 June—Second Engagement at Fort Cornwallis

 

4 June—Engagement at Fort George

 

5 June—Americans recapture Augusta

 

In late May 1781, British forces under Lt. Col. Thomas Brown held Fort Cornwallis, about where St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Augusta now stands.

 

At this stage of the war, the British strategy was to dominate the region’s countryside by placing troops in various forts. Such strongholds not only provided a base from which Redcoats could strike, but also a rallying spot for area Loyalists.

 

Colonial troops led by Gen. Andrew Pickens and Lt. Col. Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee (the father of Robert E. Lee) pinned down the British force in the fort next to the Savannah River, but it was too strong to overtake. The Americans wanted to bombard the British stronghold with their 6-pounder cannons, but the flat, swampy land along the Savannah did not have a hill high enough to loft cannonballs into the garrison.

 

Lee then suggested a strategy used a month before at Fort Watson in South Carolina. There, a Maj. Hezekiah Mayham (also spelled “Maham”) conceived of building a two-story tower, hoisting a cannon to its top and firing over the walls into a nearby British fort. In his memoirs, Lee described the tower as a “large, strong oblong pen, to be covered on the top with a floor of logs, and protected on the side opposite to the fort with a breastwork of light timbers.”

 

The Americans decided to try it again. They began building the tower on the evening of May 30, protected from British sight by an old wooden house. The tower was completed June 1, high enough to overlook the wall of Fort Cornwallis.

 

Brown perceived the danger of the American project. Knowing the tower would be used to bombard his fort, he ordered a night attack to destroy it, but Americans repelled the sortie with bayonets.  Brown then mounted two cannons inside Fort Cornwallis to fire upon the tower, but they were never able to disable the tower’s 6-pounder. The two cannons were quickly disabled by the tower’s gun. It is said one of the British cannons is located near the Celtic Cross marker at St. Paul’s.

 

The American 6-pounder continued to fire into the fort, forcing soldiers to dig holes for protection. After a few days it became too much. On June 5, the British garrison of 300 surrendered.

 

After the war, Lee wrote in his memoirs that the tower was the key to overtaking the British in Augusta. Mr. Sutherland writes: “The use of the tower to attack a fortified position is an old practice known to the Romans. But to Hezekiah Maham must go the credit for re-inventing its use in the New World.” It provided the margin of victory, he wrote, in two battles that eventually helped force the British to Yorktown and defeat.

 

12 July—Engagement at Ogeechee River

 

8 September—Engagement at Eutaw Springs

  

17 October—Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown

 

6 November—Engagement at Wilkes County

 

3 December—Engagement at the Fork of the Hooper

 

Per Knox, no Continental troops and 750 militia in service in 1781.

 

1782

 

January 1782—American Gen. Wayne’s offensive in Southern theater

 

25 February—Engagement at Augusta

 

12 April—Engagement at Altamaha River

 

21 May—Engagement at Fort Galphin (Fort Dreadnaught)

 

24 May—Engagement at Sharon

 

23 June—Engagement at Ebenezer (Three Sisters)

 

10-11 July—Americans recapture Savannah after British evacuation

 

September 16 - October 17—Campaign against the Cherokees

 

A force of 414 men led by Brigadier General Andrew Pickens, and Colonel Elijah Clarke marched against the Cherokees who were under the command of a Loyalist Colonel named Thomas Waters that had aroused the Indians to attack settlements. Waters was defeated, but many Indian towns were burned. Chiefs of the different Nations negotiated a treaty that was ratified by the Governor of Georgia.

 

Per Knox, no Continental troops and 750 militia in service in 1782.

 

1783

 

3 September—Treaty of Paris ending hostilities between England and the United States

 

 Per Knox, 145 Continental troops and no militia in service in 1783.

 

EXTRACTS FROM THE MINUTES OF THE GEORGIA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

 

Aside from the military actions documented above, a parallel political chronology detailing civilian control of the Wilkes County  militia can be found in the proceedings of the Executive Council, the de facto Whig government of Georgia.    The following entries have been excerpted from The Revolutionary Records of the State of Georgia, edited by Allen Candler and published in 1908.  These excerpts do not contain the whole of the minutes, but only those parts relating to the militia of the State of Georgia and Wilkes County in particular.  An attempt has been made to retain the formatting as.  Additional notes by the author are contained in [square brackets].

 

Friday, 18 September, 1778

 

…RESOLVED, First—That there is every reason, from the appearance of things at this time, to apprehend a war with the Creek Indians is become unavoidable, they having actually killed several of the inhabitants of this State and taken and carried away a number of horses and cattle from the same.

 

   Second—That it is prudent and necessary to make provision for such an event in the best manner the State can, and the Council advises that the Governor do order the Militia of Wilkes and Richmond to be immediately drafted into two parts; the one to be called out and placed on duty, either in Scouts or otherwise, as the Field Officers of the said Counties respectively shall judge fit, and at the end of a fortnight to be relieved by the other; and that the detachments of these Counties do as circumstances require occasionally move to the assistance of each other; that nothing herein contained extend to prevent the Commanding Officer of each regiment from calling out and placing on duty, either in Scouts or posts the whole of his regiment, if an alarm or other intelligence shall so require;…

 

Wednesday, 2 December, 1778

 

   …WHEREAS, by the late Militia law passed on the  .. day of November last past [Note: this date is 15 November, T.O.] it is directed that new elections for Officers of the militia be held throughout the State, within two months from the passing of the said law.

 

   It is Therefore Ordered, the several Colonels, or other Commanding Officers of regiments within the several Counties, do cause such elections to be held at the usual places, within the time limited by the said law; and that due notice thereof be given by them before the holding of such elections.

 

   It is Further Ordered, that the Clerk of this Board do immediately furnish each of the said Colonels or other Commanding Officers as aforesaid with a copy of this order by express, if no safe opportunity shall otherwise offer, and also of the law as soon as the same can be procured from the Printer, at public charge.

 

Tuesday, 26 January, 1779

 

   The Council met,— A return being made from the County of Wilkes for Officers elected for said County Viz, John Dooly, Colonel; Elijah Clark, Lieutenant Colonel; and Burwell Smith, Major; Commissions were accordingly made out and delivered.

 

Thursday, 17 June, 1779

 

   The Council met, and took into consideration General Lincoln’s recommendation to the inhabitants of the State of Georgia, and recommended to Colo. Dooly to put it in execution.

 

Saturday, 26 June, 1779  The Council Met.

 

   It is recommended by this Council to Colo. Dooly, as soon as he can have an opportunity, to order to Colo. Baker, with all his men under his Command to join him.

 

   It is also recommended, that all prizes taken by the Militia now acting in this State, under the command of the said to Colo. Dooly, should be disposed of as recommended by His Excellency General Lincoln; and that all share alike in all prizes taken by any part or parties of the present detachment:  provided nevertheless, that if any effects be taken wherein there may be a probability that such effects does [sic] not belong to the person or persons which they are taken from, at the time of taking them, that they shall not be disposed of till they are ten days published or advertised in Main Camp, so that if they should belong to a friend of the States; they may have an opportunity of getting their property on paying one sixth part of the value thereof.  And it is our opinion that to Colo. Baker as well as all other forces now in arms in this State is [sic], and has been [sic] under the Command of to Colo. Dooly ever since his appointment to Colo. Commandant.

 

   Issued orders for one Delegate to be chosen to represent us in Congress, as per copy taken.

 

Thursday, 1 July, 1779  The Council met.

 

   Took into consideration a letter from to Colo. Dooly, and the proceedings of a Court of Enquiry held at Butlers Creek on the 30th day of June last, enquiring into the conduct of to Colo. George Wells; and maturely considering the matter, it appears by the first article, Section 17th of the Continental Articles of war; also by the express words of the late Militia Act of this State, which refers to the continental articles of war for the rule of conduct to govern the militia by, when on duty; that that matter does in no wise come before this Board. …

 

Saturday, 24 July, 1779

 

Appointment of nine member Supreme Executive Council, upon which devolved all control of State power.  One of the members of the Supreme Executive Council was John Dooly.

 

Friday, 6 August, 1779

 

…A return being made by Colo. Dooly, of the Free Citizens from Wilkes County, Who signed the delegation of the late House of Assembly from that County.  It appeared that there were three hundred and three, who signed the same.

 

Saturday, 14 August, 1779

 

   …RESOLVED, that this Board will particularly interest themselves with Congress, General Lincoln and the State of South Carolina, to put the Militia of this State upon the same footing with respect to their pay for past services as the militia of South Carolina have been, since the pay of the Militia of that State has been augmented, and that for the future, they shall be in every respect on the same footing that the Carolina Militia at present are….

 

Wednesday, 18 August, 1779

 

A letter was drafted and sent to the Governor and Council of South Carolina detailing the depredations on Georgia since the fall of Savannah, and asking for assistance:

 

…When the enemy retreated from Augusta, those who had received protection, imagining that they would be deemed traitors, and treated as such, went down with them; to this we impute the cause of so many joining them.  Since then, a number of the people of the Counties of Burke, Richmond, and Wilkes under the command of Colonels Dooly, Few and Twiggs, have given repeated proofs of their zealous attachment to the cause of their Country; among others the Militia under command of Colo. Dooly were very instrumental in defeating a large body of disaffected people from the back parts of your State, commanded by Colo. Boyd, which put a stop, in a great measure; to the enemy receiving the support they expected from thence; and while they were in Johns Island a party from Burke County under the Command of Colo. Twiggs, penetrated as low down as Ogechee Ferry, within fifteen miles of Savannah, and totally defeated a party of fifty picked regulars; at the same time near three hundred horse, under the Command of Colo. Dooly were on their March down the Country, and in all probability would have effected something of consequence had not a great part of the force of the enemy returned to Savannah.

 

These exertions of the people of the back Country have greatly exasperated General Provost [sic, Prevost], who declares he will have nothing unattempted, to ruin them. …

 

…Being reduced to situation that we expected would be out lot whenever the enemy made this State their object, without a legislative body, or the means of raising money, the greatest part of our Militia have received no pay since December last, which has occasioned much dissatisfaction amongst them; We are therefore, induced to apply to you for the loan of sixty thousand dollars for this and other necessary expenses, till our Delegates can make application to Congress for support. …

 

Monday, 23 August, 1779

 

   …Received a letter from Colo. Dooly, dated 22d Instant, to which the following is an answer.

 

   DEAR SIR, We are very sorry to be informed of your indisposition and that the Indians have been so very troublesome on the frontiers.  In this situation of affairs, the Council are of opinion it would not be prudent for you to march any part of your regiment this way.  We shall make Genl. McIntosh acquainted with our reasons for countermanding his orders, and in future whenever there is any occasion for the Militia, the Council will order them to be embodied, at present, as your people are out you will take such steps for the defence of the frontiers, as you shall judge best.

 

   The express is in such a hurry to return, that the Council have not had time to determine what ought to be done with respect to enlarging the representation from Wilkes County, however, you may inform the people that every step shall be taken to do them justice in this matter, and if you can possibly attend the Council, towards the latter end of the week or beginning of next, we are in hopes you will have it in your power on your return not only to satisfy them respecting this business; but also, about their pay and salt, for both of which the Council have wrote [sic], and the express that was sent with the letters will return in a few days….

 

Wednesday, 19 January, 1780

 

   …RESOLVED, That the Militia which shall be ordered on duty by his honor the Governor, or in his absence, the President of the Council, be supplied with rations of every kind, by the Deputy Quarter Master and Commissary General, in such quantity and proportion as directed for confederal Troops—That whenever any of the militia are ordered on duty, the same shall be made known by His Honor the Governor or in his absence, the President, to the Officers commanding in the confederal line, for the time being; to the end that orders may issue from him to the Deputy Quarter Master and Commissary General, for a necessary supply of provisions, forage, horses, wagons &C. for their use, to be received and dealt out in due proportion, by such persons as the Commanding Officer of the Militia shall duly appoint.  That no returns made to the Deputy Quarter Master and Commissary General, from any Officer of the militia shall be received, unless it be under the above regulations.—…

 

January, 1780 [meeting occurred between 19 and 28 January. T.O.]

 

   …On a representation made to the Board by Colonels Dooly & Clark, of the necessity of having the newly erected Forts in the frontiers in Wilkes County properly garrisoned.

 

   RESOLVED, That His Honor the Governor be requested to issue orders to Colonel Dooly to order thirty men for the defence of each Fort, including one hundred and eighty men in the whole, to be kept on constant duty, until the further orders of the Board.

 

   RESOLVED, That a Fort be built at Harris old Fort and that the sum of five hundred pounds be allowed for the building the same, and to be erected under the direction of  Captain Zachariah Philips agreeable to the regulations which were made with respect to the other Forts on that frontier. …

 

Saturday, 5 January, 1782

 

   …It appears to this Board, by the deposition of James Rusin that the Indians & Tories have been & are now doing mischief in the upper part of this State.  Therefore,

 

   RESOLVED, That Lieut. Colo. Cunningham be immediately directed to proceed as speedily as possible with what men he has at Spirit-Creek, to Wilkes County, and that General Twiggs be made acquainted with the same; And likewise that Colo. Cunningham be supplied with a small quantity of ammunition for the men under his command….

 

Saturday, 19 January, 1782

 

   ORDERED, That His Honor the Governor be requested and empowered to order a draft of one half of the militia of Burke, Effingham, & Richmond counties; and one third of the militia of Wilkes, to serve for two months, to be marched on foot and rendezvous at Spirit Creek, except those of Burke & Effingham, who will meet in the said Counties, as soon as possible. …

 

Tuesday, 29 January, 1782

 

   …WHEREAS, it appears that the frontiers of this State, from information, is equally in danger of being distressed by the Indians &C. and as there is an expedition now forming in No. and South Carolina against the Indians, therefore,

 

   RESOLVED, That His Honor the Governor be requested to countermand the orders respecting a draft of Militia for the County of Wilkes—…

 
THE PROVISIONS OF THE GEORGIA MILITIA ACT and 
THE CONTINENTAL ARTICLES OF WAR--
as they relate to the Wilkes County Militia
DRILL, ORGANIZATION, ARMS, and ACCOUTERMENTS 
 
As noted in the excerpts above, the Georgia Militia Act of 1778  (full text found in the Appendix) was looked upon with respect, and efforts were made to enforce and abide by its provisions, including the use of the disciplinary provisions of the Continental Articles of War.  We believe this reliance on the Act by the Wilkes Countians is important, especially in light of some scholarly works which point to such militia laws in other states being routinely ignored. This is most especially important when we turn to the issue of arms and accouterments, because we have found no documentation which gives any indication that the Georgia militia received any sort of government stores beyond powder, shot, and rations.  Although such issuance was not outside the realm of possibility, we simply cannot document it.  Our only conclusion based on this is that each Wilkes County militia man would have been strictly held to the requirement of the Militia Act to supply his own weapon, cartridge box or bag, bayonet, and any other military equipment.  We do not believe this rules out the use of captured British equipment or issued Continental equipment, but also does not indicate that we should all be uniformly armed in such a way.  
 
According to the Act:  AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that every person liable to appear and bear Arms at any Muster, exercise or training hereby appointed, pursuant to the directions of this Act, shall constantly keep and bring with him, to such training, exercising or Muster, one good Gun, Bayonet, hanger, sword or hatchet, a Cartouch Box, twelve Cartridges a powder horn and half pound of Powder, with at least twenty four rounds of Lead, a Worm, pricker and four Flints each, to be produced at Musters and at all other times retained in every Person’s House.
 
As to training and drill, we have no citation for any particular sort of pattern which was followed.  The Militia Act only states that every Captain or other Commanding Officer, of the several Companies, in this State, are hereby directed, and required, to assemble, Muster, train and exercise, their respective Companies for ordinary Musters, Once in every Month in time of War and once in every two Months in time of peace, in such way, and at such times and places, as the said Captains or other Commissioned Officers of Companies shall or may think fit to appoint.   Based purely on the fact that the British Manual of Arms of 1764 was the most widely read and used manual of arms in the colonies, and that it surely would have been in use among the British troops originally stationed in Georgia, we have adopted its use for the Wilkes County Militia.  We believe that the von Steuben “Blue Book” also has some validity, but only for instances when we are called upon to fall in with those units which can document its use, or for actions late in the war.  
 
In addition, the Act states that such Militia on duty as aforesaid, shall be subject to the Continental Articles of War, are hereby declared to be the rule of conduct of such Militia, and all officers and privates, so on duty aforesaid, are hereby directed to govern themselves in conformity thereto, except in cases, where, by the said Continental Articles of War, Corporal Punishment, of any nature is ordered to be inflicted, and instead of such Corporal Punishment, pecuniary Mulcts and Fines shall be inflicted.  Therefore, we also proscribe the use of the Continental Articles of War to guide our behavior when in the field and depictions of military trials and the meting out of punishments.   
 

In portraying individual members of the militia, our depictions will comply with the portion of the Act which notes membership in the militia of the state is limited to all Male Persons, except as hereafter excepted, in this State, from the age of Fifteen to Sixty Years.  The exception to this requirement is stated thus: that nothing in this Act, shall extend to oblige the following Persons from doing common Militia duty—Vizt the Members of the House of Assembly, Chief Justice, Attorney General, School Masters, Ministers of the Gospel, Collectors of the Customs, Printer, Auditor general, except in cases of Alarm and that the Persons herein after named, be exempt from all Militia duty, to-wit—the Governor and Executive Council, Physicians, Surgeons, Pilots, Ferrymen, Sheriffs, Treasurers, Lunaticks, Idiots and Madmen.

 
SUMMARY 
 
Given the information we have, we believe that the equipment requirements we currently use are sufficient to properly portray members of the Wilkes County Militia.  These requirements are reproduced below, with general information pertaining to the group or to sutlers edited out.  (The full text of the list may be viewed at http://georgiarefugees.tripod.com)  
 
As noted in the companion documentation for our clothing, no information has come to light that would indicate that any member of the Wilkes County militia would be unfamiliar with any element of the normal social customs and tangible articles of the period.  Therefore, based upon scholarly works pertaining to the material culture of America in general during the Revolution, we feel no need to shy away from recommending known generic examples of soldierly equipment or common civilian belongings (i.e., the use of a fowler weapon, or the articles a person might have carried on his person).  Our analysis of our particular unit does suggest to us, however, that we would have no use for large tents, camp equipment, cookware, or any other impedimenta which could not easily be carried by one man or by a man on horseback.  Nothing in the documentation found to date indicates that the Wilkes County militia, or any other Georgia militia unit, traveled heavily or relied on a steady supply line.

*****

WEAPONS

 

FowlersThe most common civilian gun of the period was the smoothbore fowler, and probably saw more use than any other type of weapon among American militias during the war.  These were long-barreled weapons capable of firing shot or ball.  Calibers ran in the 20 to 14 gauge range. Reproductions should be full stock with a minimum of a 38-inch barrel. 42 to 50 inch barrels were most common. Several companies offer completed fowlers or parts to build them. 

 

Trade GunsThese were essentially cheap fowlers made for the Indian trade in North America.  Several British firms produced these in quantity throughout the 18th century.  They had most of the attributes of the fowler except they were simplified and often had a French-style butt.  Many of these guns ended up in the hands of American settlers because they were cheaper than other guns, or because they were captured in actions against the Indians.  As with the fowlers, barrels should be at least 38 inches long.

 

Military Muskets -  Militia units could have had commercial smoothbore fowlers or muskets in similar calibers to the military, the two most common being .69 and .75.   The majority of the military-style muskets used by the Georgians would have more than likely been Long Land Pattern, or Type I.  Due to its availability, the best alternative for an English musket is the Pedersoli Type II, or Short Land Pattern, Brown Bess if no other is available.  Modern markings on any reproduction should be removed, and the various brass parts should be reshaped to more accurately represent the actual musket parts.  The “Grice 1762” nomenclature should be removed from the lock on the Pedersoli Bess.

 

Rifles - The use of a rifle is discouraged for several reasons, and will be accepted only on a case-by-case basis.  We do not represent a rifle company, and smoothbores should be our predominant weapon.  The long rifle during this period was more expensive and less versatile than smoothbore guns.  However, they were used during the Revolution by the militia.  This would have been especially so in settlements on the frontier.  There are very few mass produced reproduction rifles that are acceptable for use.  Parts can be obtained to build a very authentic period rifle, however.  Proper reproductions should be full stocked with at least a 38-inch barrel, and calibers should be large, .50 - .62 caliber.  A Refugee member would have to inspect any rifles to ensure that they meet authenticity requirements before they could be considered for use. 

 

Weapon Accessory Items

 

Powder Horn and Shot Bag/Cartridge Box – Many styles are available for both articles.  Look in Neuman and Kravic’s Collector’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution for a view of the different styles used.  For militia, a good rule of thumb may be: if you carry a civilian weapon you should have a horn and shot pouch, if you carry a military gun, an early style English cartridge box is also an option. 

 

Musket Flints - If possible, obtain French buff-colored flints, as these would have been most used, although black English flint is perfectly acceptable.  Do not use machined German agates.  It is better to have too many than too few, and you should try to have about 5 or 6 in your bag, a dozen is better.

 

Musket Flint leathers - from any sutler, although any small piece of thin leather will do;  lead pads work, too, and are correct, but tend to deform after a few firings requiring the frequent retightening of the jaw screw.

 

Musket Whisk & Pick - from any sutler, or you can make your own from horsehair or hog bristle, silver or brass  wire, brass chain, and small diameter brass rod. 

 

Tompion - Maple muzzle plug available from any sutler or make your own. 

 

Vent cover - Brass shield covering the flash hole and side of pan, plain brass only.  These are required safety equipment at all major events.

 

Musket Tool - The common pricker-hammer-turnscrew Pickering-type can be ordered from any sutler, or similar tools can be made by a local smith based on pictures in Neumann and Kravic.  The “three-way” British tool is good for pin-fastened muskets.

 

Wooden “Flint” - For manual of arms or other training requiring the simulation of firing.  Used to cut down on wear to hammer and flints.  Small piece of hardwood cut to size of flint.  These are available from sutlers,  or make your own.

 

Hammer stall - Small leather cover for the hammer.  Also something used for manual of arms or other training when you might have powder in the breech or a flint in the jaw.  These are required at all major events.

 

Musket Cleaning Kit - A very good article from the NWTA Courier at http://www.nwta.com/couriers/11-96/clean.html has a concise idea of what is required for the proper daily care of your firelock.

 

ACCOUTERMENTS

 

Canteen – The stave constructed wood style is possible, but more common were the carved wooden rumlets, a leather covered bottle, or a pitched leather bottle.  See Neuman and Kravic for the variety of types. 

 

Bayonet w/scabbard - $85 - Should be appropriate for your type of musket. 

 

Bayonet Carriage – Leather frog with a heavy linen or jute strap.

 

Haversack - These are available from a number of sources or can easily be made.  Made of natural linen (preferred), white linen or white tow canvas, with three plain pewter buttons for closure.  Sutler supplied sacks will more than likely have to be taken up (by resewing-not a big knot on your shoulder), in order for it to hang at the proper height (under your elbow, not below the belt). 

 

Knife - pocket knives are handy and available from any sutler; giant hunting knives are not appropriate, but a moderately sized (5-8 inch blade) is not unheard of.  Handles should be wood, bone or antler and blades should be carbon steel.

 

Tomahawk/hatchet - Most appropriate is round polled with hickory handle.  No spike on the back.  Available from several folks, should be hand forged.

 

Sword/hanger – As noted in the Militia Act, this was also an appropriate edged weapon for members of the militia.  Refer (once more) to Neumann and Kravic.

 

PERSONAL ITEMS

 

Cup - Made of tin, or of copper with the inside tinned.  Should be not too small (pint works good), and make sure it can be used to heat things up in. 

 

Plate/Bowl - $5 to $15 - This can be of wood, tin or pewter, but shouldn’t be too fancy.  Bowls are more practical, but plates are fine. 

 

Eating Utensils - $2 to $25 - Made of wood, pewter, iron, or steel.  Spoons are the most necessary, knives and forks are fine (usually you can get by without either). 

 

Blanket - $20 to $50 - Blankets should be of 100% wool, of solid color (perhaps with one or two dark bars at the ends), and with no lettering (i.e. U.S.)  Grey or white is best; avoid olive drab.  You can get blankets from any of the sutlers, or check an Army/Navy store (make sure they fit the above description).  You can also get a long piece of wool from a period cloth dealer and wrap up in that.  Buy two if possible. 

 

Ground Cloth - So far, documentation for something used purposely to sleep on is a bit sketchy, but an oilcloth does seem like a necessity if you are going to sleep on the ground.  $20 to $30 - Use a piece of heavy drilling or tightly woven tow material longer than you are when laying down and wide enough (after piecing down the middle) for you to lay on and pull over yourself.  This can be painted with milk paint.  Make sure that the fabric is well coated, allow to dry thoroughly, them use a light coat of linseed oil on the surface to seal it.  Alternately, oil-based, flat finished metal oxide type paints can be used, or just plain linseed oil over dyed cloth.  Red is suggested as a color simply because it was common, but other earth-toned pigments are also possible.  

 

Other Personal Items (not required)

 

Currency, dice, playing cards, penny whistle, sewing kit, firemaking kit, quill, ink, lead pencil (musket ball drawn to a point), writing paper, Bible or prayer book, medicine, tobacco and pipe or snuff, compass, food not issued as ration, (such as dried soup, fruit, vegetables, cheese, parched corn), straight razor with brush and soap, mirror, comb, soap, blacking ball, shoe brush, &c., &c.  It goes without saying that you should research your persona before rushing out and buying items.  Militia members traveled lightly, and may have only had a bit of extra clothing and some toilet items, so don’t try to carry everything ever made.

 

*****
 
Respectfully submitted by The Georgia Refugees, Representing Colonel John Dooly’s Regiment, Captain John Cunningham’s Company of the Wilkes County, Georgia Militia (BAR Unit #310) to Mr. Norman Fuss, Southern Department Inspector, Brigade of the American Revolution, as partial fulfillment of the unit membership requirements.
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 

Cadle, Farris W. Georgia Land Surveying History And Law.  University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia.  1991.

 

Candler, Allen D., editor. The Colonial Records of the State of Georgia. 26 vols. C. P. Byrd, Atlanta, Georgia. 1904-1926.

 

Candler, Allen D., editor. The Revolutionary Records of the State of Georgia. 3 vols. Franklin-Turner Co., Atlanta, Georgia. 1908.

 

Cashin, Edward J.  The King’s Ranger: Thomas Brown & the American Revolution on the Southern Frontier University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia. 1989. 

 

Davis, Robert Scott. Quaker Records in Georgia. Augusta Genealogical Society, Augusta, Georgia. 1986. pp 196-254

 

Howard, Bryan.  “Had On and Took It With Him: Runaway Indentured Servant Clothing in VA, 1774-1778.”  Doctoral dissertation.  Texas A&M University.  May 1996.

 

Knight, L.L. Georgia’s Roster of the Revolution. Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore. 1967

 

Stroebel, Phillip A. The Salzburgers and their Descendants: Being the History of a Colony of German (Lutheran) Protestants, who Emigrated to Georgia in 1734 and Settled at Ebenezer, Twenty-Five miles above the city of Savannah. T. Newton Kurtz, Baltimore, Maryland. 1855. Reprinted by University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia 1953.

 

Warren, Mary Bondurant, editor. Revolutionary memoirs and muster rolls. Heritage Papers, Athens, Georgia. 1994.

 

Wright, Robert K., Jr. The Continental Army, The Center of Military History U.S. Army, Washington, DC. 1989.

 

Internet Sources:

 

The Augusta Chronicle Website

http://augustachronicle.com/history/mayham.html

 

Bender, A. (“Pompadour”) La Couturiere Parisienne 

http://marquise.de/index.html

 

Britannica Online

http://208.154.71.60/bcom/eb/article/2/0,5716,24222+1+23851,00.html

 

First New Hampshire Regiment Website

http://www.crosswinds.net/~firstnh/page3.html

 

French Volunteers in the American Revolution Website

http://xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/volunt.htm

 

Glynn County, Georgia, History Website

http://petersnn.org/petersnn/revwar.htm#A Short History

 

Leech, Patrick. “Who Says Manchester Says Cotton.” Textile Terminology in the Oxford English Dictionary (1000-1960) Appendix B: Terms with dates of first and last occurrence and definition (adapted from OED)

http://citam01.lingue.unibo.it/intralinea/vol2/leech/default.htm

 

North Georgia History Website

http://www.ngeorgia.com/history/nghistar.html

 

O’Kelley, Patrick J., goober.com@juno.com  2nd Regiment of the North Carolina Line http://www.2nc.org/, entries for 1 March, 1776 and 12-13 May, 1776—Engagements at Cockspur Island and 25 March, 1776— Engagement at Tybee Island copied with permission from Revlist postings titled “225 Years Ago in Georgia.”  Also provided a portion of the April 1781 Engagement at Wiggan’s (Wiggin’s) Hill, along with Kim Stacy. 

 

Post, Todd, tpost@patriot.net, 2d Virginia Regiment http://patriot.net/~tpost/2va.html, entry for 21-23 May, 1782—Engagement at Ogeechee Ferry and Ogeechee Road (Brown’s Defeat, Harris’s Bridge)

 

Revolutionary War Website

http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/EMS/RevWar/AmRevolution.htm#Table of Contents

 

Stacy, Kim, rhq84@flash.net 84th Regiment of Foot, Commanding

http://www.84th.com/units.htm, entry for April 1781—Engagement at Wiggan’s (Wiggin’s) Hill.

 

“The Use of Regimental Type Buttons in the Continental Army (1775-1783)” E.B. Bower

http://www.thetreasuredepot.com/issue2/revolution.htm

 

Genealogical References:

http://www.surnames.com/burgess/angtl.html

http://www.genealogy.com/users/p/l/a/Jonathan-Plant/FILE/0008text.txt
http://members.aol.com/eleanorcol/ColsonGen4.html   
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jvoran/hopkins/lambeth2.htm

http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/autumn2000/legacy.html

http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/roots-l/messages/97jan/23257

http://www.afrigeneas.com/slavedata/Barnard-GA-1775.html

http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/roots-l/messages/97jan/23257 

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gagenweb/records/loyalist.htm

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gagenweb/records/loyalist.htm

http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Choir/1824/harriswilkesearly.html

http://mars.spaceports.com/~pennock/fam09062.html 

http://www.genealogy.com/users/a/n/s/Jane-E-Anspach-OH/FILE/0035page.html

http://home.midsouth.rr.com/cardengenealogy/waynepage/pafg44.htm

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/2064/Moore.html

http://worldgenealogy.tripod.com/benjaminthompsonsr.html

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000115

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX
 
I.          DEFINITIONS OF THE TYPES OF CLOTH LISTED IN THE LEDGER BOOK
 

William Manson Ledger Cloth Materials and Definitions

Source for definitions is Patrick Leech’s “Who Says Cotton Says Manchester” 

Those marked by asterisk (*) are common definitions

Amount

Material

Definition

11 yd

Bath coating

A material formerly fashionable for male attire.

25.75 yd

Broad Cloth

Fine, plain-wove, dressed, double width, black cloth, used chiefly for men’s garments.

11 yd

Buckram

a. A kind of fine linen or cotton fabric. b. A kind of coarse linen or cloth stiffened with gum or paste.

1yd

Buckskin

*Deer skin

105 yd

Check/Cheque

*Cloth having either a woven or printed pattern of intersecting lines

6 yd

Chequered Venetian

(Venetian) A closely-woven cloth having a fine twilled surface, used as a suiting or dress material.

4 yds

Cloth/Cloath

*Any sort of common cloth

10 yd

Coarse Linen

*Distinguished by coarser weave or heavier thread

79 yd

Cotton

*Although some woolens are called cotton, in the context of the time period and purpose of this ledger book, it is assumed that this refers to fabric woven from plant fiber.

3.25 yd

Cotton stuff

The term “stuff” may be applied to any woven textile, but it more especially denotes those of worsted, made of long or “combing wool.” Stuffs are distinguished from other woolen cloths by the absence of any nap or pile.  *In this instance, “cotton” is meant to distinguish the fabric from the more common type.

56.5 yd

Drab

*Any sort of plain woven, natural fiber colored fabric

9.5 yd

Drill/Drilling

A coarse twilled linen or cotton fabric used for summer clothing, etc.

5.25 yd

Durant/Durants

A woolen stuff called by some everlasting; (a strong twilled woolen stuff, called also lasting)  a variety of tammy (A fine worsted cloth of good quality, often with a glazed finish. Much mentioned in 17th and 18th centuries, but apparently obsolete before 1858).

92.5 yd

Frieze

A kind of coarse woolen cloth, with a nap, usually on one side only; now especially of Irish manufacture. Also frieze-cloth.

1/2 quarter

Irish Linen

*Finely made flax fiber cloth manufactured in Ireland, or copying the look and feel of Irish linen

39.25 yd

Linen

*Fabric woven of flax fiber

6.5 yd

Linen Calicoe

A general name for cotton cloth of all kinds imported from the East; ‘an Indian stuff made of cotton, sometimes stained with gay and beautiful colours’; subsequently, also, various cotton fabrics of European manufacture.  *In this instance, “linen” is meant to distinguish the fabric from the more common type.

365 yd

Osnaburgh/ Oznaburg/ Oznaburgh/Oznaburghs

A kind of coarse linen originally made in Osnabrück.

31 yd

Russia Drab

*Heavy cloth sometimes used for breeches

6.5 yd

Stay tape

A narrow woven strip of stout linen, cotton, silk, or other textile, used as a string for tying garments, and for other purposes for which flat strings are suited.

77.5 yd

Stuff/Stuffs/Worsted Stuffs

This term may be applied to any woven textile, but it more especially denotes those of worsted, made of long or "combing wool". Stuffs are distinguished from other woolen cloths by the absence of any nap or pile.

II.        AN ACCOUNTING OF THE PASSENGERS BROUGHT TO FRIENDSBOROUGH BY WILLIAM MANSON
 

Passenger Manifest

Surname

Given Name

Age

Sex

Status

Occupation

From

Arnott

David

20

M

S

Smith

Scotland

Bean

Alexander

23

M

M

Shoemaker

Scotland

Bean

Christiana

18

F

M

Wife

Scotland

Briggs

Samuel

28

M

S

Dyer

Scotland

Brokey

Charles

25

M

S

Gardener

Scotland

Brown

Margaret

19

F

S

Spinster

Whitby

Bulman

George

46

M

M

Carpenter

Scotland

Bulman

Elizabeth

36

F

M

Wife

Scotland

Bulman

George

5

M

S

Son

Scotland

Bulman

Diana

4

F

S

Daughter

Scotland

Cobb

John

31

M

S

Butcher

Scotland

Crawford

Robert

16

M

S

Yeoman

Scotland

Dean

John

19

M

S

Shoemaker

Shields

Derry

John

45

M

S

Joiner

London

Dick

John

46

M

M

Upholsterer

Newcastle

Dick

Mary

33

F

M

Wife

Newcastle

Dick

Jane

13

F

S

Daughter

Newcastle

Dick

Grizel

4

M(?)

S

Son(?)

Newcastle

Dick

John

14

M

S

Labourer

Scotland

Douglas

John

20

M

S

Gardener

Scotland

Dunn

Jane

20

F

S

Mantuamaker

Blyth

Eives

John

31

M

M

Soapboiler

Shields

Eives

Elizabeth

24

F

M

Wife

Shields

Eives

William

7

M

S

Son

Shields

Fairface

James

20

M

S

Barber

Newcastle

Foreman

Eleanor

20

F

S

Spinster

Newcastle

Foster

Mary

18

F

S

Spinster

Newcastle

Garthwaitt

June

22

F

S

Spinster

Newcastle

Gordon

Hugh

22

M

S

Yeoman

Scotland

Graham

Henry

26

M

S

Yeoman

Scotland

Hewison

William

20

M

S

Surgeon

Newcastle

Hume

John

28

M

S

Farmer

Scotland

Jackson

Edward

15

M

S

Ribbon Weaver

Coventry

Jackson

William

16

M

S

Yeoman

London

Liddle

George

15

M

S

Yeoman

Scotland

Linnon

William

19

M

S

Taylor

Scotland

Lithcow

Andrew

37

M

M

Breeches Maker

Sunderland

Lithcow

Elizabeth

35

F

M

Wife

Sunderland

Lithcow

Andrew

11

M

S

Son

Sunderland

Lithcow

Robert

4

M

S

Son

Sunderland

Lithcow

Elizabeth

2

F

S

Daughter

Sunderland

Lithcow

Jane

1

F

S

Daughter

Sunderland

Manson

Thomas

16

M

S

Yeoman

Scotland

Manson

Barbara

23

F

S

Spinster

Scotland

Manson

Margaret

25

F

S

Spinster

Scotland

Manson

Elizabeth

26

F

S

Spinster

Scotland

Manson

Elizabeth

9

F

S

Spinster

Scotland

Martin

Robert

26

M

S

Yeoman

Scotland

Maxwell

David

19

M

S

Barber

Newcastle

Maxwell

William

33

M

S

Yeoman

Scotland

McAndrew

Alexander

18

M

S

Yeoman

Scotland

McCullock

William

24

M

M

Barber

Scotland

McCullock

Barbara

24

F

M

Wife

Scotland

McIntosh

John

32

M

S

Ropemaker

Scotland

Milbross

Jane

30

F

S

Spinster

Newcastle

Milburn

Elizabeth

20

F

S

Spinster

Scotland

Murray

David

23

M

S

Shoemaker

Newcastle

Oliphant

James

34

M

S

Yeoman

Scotland

Peakstone

Eleanor

26

F

S

Spinster

Stockton

Pearson

Ann

19

F

S

Spinster

Kudwith

Porteus

Simon

49

M

S

Mason

Scotland

Purdy

Thomas

17

M

S

Keelman

Sunderland

Robson

Robert

28

M

M

Yeoman

Scotland

Robson

Jane

28

F

M

Wife

Scotland

Robson

Eleanor

6

F

S

Daughter

Scotland

Robson

James

4

M

S

Son

Scotland

Robson

Mary

1

F

S

Daughter

Scotland

Salisbury

Charles

30

M

M

Yeoman

Scotland

Salisbury

Robert

11

M

S

Son

Scotland

Salisbury

Thomas

10

M

S

Son

Scotland

Scott

John

30

M

M

Yeoman

Scotland

Scott

Margaret

35

F

M

Wife

Scotland

Scott

William

13

M

S

Son

Scotland

Scott

John

10

M

S

Son

Scotland

Scott

Mary

8

F

S

Daughter

Scotland

Scott

Agnes

4

F

S

Daughter

Scotland

Scott

Margaret

2

F

S

Daughter

Scotland

Scott

James

25

M

S

Carpenter

Scotland

Shadforth

Whitaker

21

M

S

Watchmaker

Scotland

Stewart

William

24

M

S

Mason

Scotland

Taylor

Jane

23

F

S

Spinster

Newcastle

Taylor

Thomas

22

M

S

Surgeon

Sunderland

Thompson

Thomas

29

M

S

Labourer

Scotland

Tulip

Thomas

36

M

M

Taylor

Newcastle

Tulip

Jane

40

F

M

Wife

Newcastle

Wallace

Francis

18

M

S

Keelman

Newcastle

Wark

John

30

M

S

Millwright

Scotland

Watson

Andrew

45

M

S

Joiner

London

Watson

George

36

M

M

Shoemaker

Newcastle

Watson

Mary

33

F

M

Wife

Newcastle

Watson

Thomas

12

M

S

Son

Newcastle

Watson

Isabella

10

F

S

Daughter

Newcastle

Watson

Mary

5

F

S

Daughter

Newcastle

Watson

Douglas

2

M

S

Son

Newcastle

Watson

Andrew

21

M

S

Smith

Scotland

Watt

Elizabeth

19

F

S

Spinster

South Shields

Weatherspoon

David

23

M

S

Weaver

Scotland

William

Budge

22

M

S

Joiner

Scotland

Wullins

Mary

20

F

S

Spinster

Sunderland

 

Total Passengers Aboard the Georgia Packet = 100 Persons
 
Age range = 1 - 49
 
Average Age = 21.3
 

Surname Scott = 8 Persons
Surname Watson = 8 Persons
Surname Lithcow = 6 Persons
Surname Dick = 5 Persons
Surname Manson = 5 Persons
Surname Robson = 5 Persons
Surname Bulman = 4 Persons
Surname Eives = 3 Persons
Surname Salisbury = 3 Persons
Surname Bean = 2 Persons
Surname Jackson = 2 Persons
Surname McCullock = 2 Persons
Surname Taylor = 2 Persons
Surname Tulip = 2 Persons
 
*****
Female = 37
Male = 63
*****
Wives = 10
Sons = 12
Daughters = 11
*****
Married = 20
Single = 79
*****
Occupations:
 
Barber = 3
Breechesmaker = 1
Butcher = 1
Carpenter = 2
Dyer = 1
Farmer = 1
Gardener = 2
Joiner = 3
Keelman = 2
Labourer = 2
Mantuamaker = 1
Mason = 2
Millwright = 1
Ribbon Weaver = 1
Ropemaker = 1
Shoemaker = 4
Smith = 2
Soapboiler = 1
Spinster = 15
Surgeon = 2
Taylor = 2
Upholsterer = 1
Watchmaker = 1
Weaver = 1
Yeoman = 13
*****
Locations:
 
Blyth = 1
Coventry = 1
Kudwith = 1
London = 3
Newcastle = 22
Scotland = 55
Shields = 4
South Shields = 1
Stockton = 1
Sunderland = 9
Whitby = 1

 


III.      ACCOUNTHOLDERS IN THE LEDGER OF WILLIAM MANSON

 

 

Accountholders in the Ledger Book of William Manson

(These are only the accountholders who purchased cloth or clothing items)

Accountholders=40

Biographical Sketch

Anglin, James

12 Oct 1774, James Anglin’s name appears in the Georgia Gazette with other inhabitants of the town of Wrightsboro, (now renounce British Citizenship) http://www.surnames.com/burgess/angtl.html

Baldwin, David

 

Bedel, Absalom

One of the judges of Wilkes County:  see William Downs’ entry below

Binson & May

 

Brown, Thomas

The King’s Ranger: Thomas Brown & the American Revolution on the Southern Frontier Cashin, Edward J. University of Georgia Press, 1989  Dr. Cashin has uncovered new evidence and shows a side of Thomas Brown that tends to dispel many of the early accounts of Brown’s ruthless and unmerciful actions as a Tory leader in the Augusta area during the American Revolution.

Burney, John

 

Darden, George

More than likely George Washington Darden, Sr.  Interesting collection of material included in this site about Peter Strozier, which mentions Darden as part of Strozier’s genealogy, and also mentions the conflict in Wilkes County and has a reference to Col. Manson “who deluded many.”  http://www.genealogy.com/users/p/l/a/Jonathan-Plant/FILE/0008text.txt

Dennis, John Jr.

 

Dennis, John Sr.

 

Dennis, Thomas

 

Downs, William

Folio 80, Wilkes Co, GA, Agreeable to an act passed by the Legislature at Savannah, 1 Mar 1778, William Downs, Benj. Catchings and Absolom Bedell, Esqrs., Judges of Wilkes Co., met at the Court House 11 Mar 1780, to hear evidence as to the will of Jacob COLESON, dec’d. It appears to us that the widow of the dec’d, Milley Colson was in Augusta and was not notified. Barnard Heard swears she was not present and that he believed it was from a desire to keep Milly from her just rights. The Court rules that Milley shall have one-third of the estate, that the executors be served with such notice.

SOURCE of above: “Early Records of Georgia”

http://members.aol.com/eleanorcol/ColsonGen4.html   Downs also attested to two pay requests for Carr’s Troop of Rangers in Dooly’s Regiment  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jvoran/hopkins/lambeth2.htm

Few, Ignatius

Ignatius Few, a Revolutionary War major, became a wealthy plantation owner in Columbia County, Georgia.  Listed as a 1st Lieutenant in the 6th Company of the 1st Georgia Battalion. His wife was Mary Candler, who was the great-aunt of Asa Griggs Candler, founder of The Coca-Cola Company, and Bishop Warren A. Candler, the tenth president of Emory. Ignatius A. Few was the son of Ignatus Few and was the founder of Emory University.

http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/autumn2000/legacy.html

Glascock, William Esq.

Lawyer elected January 7, 1779 President of Executive Council

Listed on the 1780 Bill of Attainder of those disloyal to the King

http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/roots-l/messages/97jan/23257

Goodgion, William

Son in law of Edward Barnard and listed as co-executor of his will. http://www.afrigeneas.com/slavedata/Barnard-GA-1775.html

Gordon, James

Listed on both the 1780 British Bill of Attainder http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/roots-l/messages/97jan/23257  and the  1783 Georgia Bill of Attainder, Banishment, and Confiscation http://www.rootsweb.com/~gagenweb/records/loyalist.htm

Grierson, James Esq

Namesake of Fort Grierson in Augusta, and listed in the 1783 Georgia Bill of Attiander

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gagenweb/records/loyalist.htm

Harris, William

Found on “A List of Persons who have Applied to the Commissioners Appointed by his Excellency Sir. Jas. Wright Barronet to receive Vouchers; and have Obtained liberty to Settle on the Lands Ceeded to His Majesty”:   Wrightsborough; A wife 3 sons and 4 daus. From 13 to 2 years; 550 acres on north fork Ogeechee at the Falls, including on the south side 150 acres pine land for a saw mill adj. the same

http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Choir/1824/harriswilkesearly.html

Heard, Charles

 

Herbert, Isaac

Owner of Herbert’s Store, site of February 19, 1779 battle

Hodgin, John

Probably the Hodgin listed in this genealogy http://mars.spaceports.com/~pennock/fam09062.html 

Howard, Capt Sr.

 

Howell, John

 

Jones, Francis Jr.

 

Low, Curtis

 

Maddan, Widow

 

Maddock, Joseph

Joseph Maddock, born 1720 in Brandywine Creek, New Castle Co., DE; died April 9, 1794 in Wrightsborough, GA. He was the son of 44. Nathan Maddock and 45. Hester Nicholls. He met 23. Rachel Dennis 1739 in Haddonfield, Gloucester County, NJ. http://www.genealogy.com/users/a/n/s/Jane-E-Anspach-OH/FILE/0035page.html

Martin, Gannaway

Found in this genealogy http://home.midsouth.rr.com/cardengenealogy/waynepage/pafg44.htm

McFarland, Captain

 

McLean, Andrew Esq.

Andrew McLean was a merchant and Indian trader. McLean lived in Augusta, however, his trading interests spread throughout Georgia and included West Florida(Pensacola).  He expressed loyalty to both the patriots and to the Tories.  McLean is mentioned in documents throughout the COLONIAL RECORDS OF GEORGIA and THE REVOLUTIONARY RECORDS OF GEORGIA.  In addition to being a merchant, McLean was on  the Commission of the Peace as Magistrate for St. Paul’s Parish.  Andrew McLean died on August 21, 1784 in Augusta, Georgia.

 

In the holdings of the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah is the Andrew McLean ledger, 1774-1797. Description:   1 v. This ledger is a daily business account of Andrew McLean.  The spine of the book indicates that this is “Ledger A.”  Each page contains debits and credits for individual and business accounts handled by McLean.  A list of every business and individual included is provided in the ledger. Most entries are between 1774 and 1783, with a few entries post-dating McLean’s death.

Miller, William

A William Miller is listed in the 1783 Georgia Bill of Attainder, but the name is common and could refer to another person.

Mooney, Mrs.

 

Moore, James

Son of Richard Moore listed in the genealogy below

Moore, Richard

Lived in Wrightsborough, found in this genealogy http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/2064/Moore.html

Perkins, Peter

Related by marriage to Richard Moore by wife Sarah Moore—see above genealogy

Stewart, Capt. Sr.

 

Stubbs, John

 

Thompson, Benjamin

(Junior)— Fought at Kettle Creek and his genealogy found here http://worldgenealogy.tripod.com/benjaminthompsonsr.html

Walton, John Esq.

WALTON, John, (brother of George Walton and cousin of Matthew Walton), a Delegate from Georgia; born in Virginia in 1738; became a planter near Augusta, Ga.; delegate from St. Paul Parish to the Provincial Congress at Savannah, Ga., in 1775; elected to the Continental Congress February 26, 1778; signed the Articles of Confederation on behalf of Georgia on July 24, 1778; held office of surveyor of Richmond County for several years; died at New Savannah, Ga., in 1783.  - - Biographical data courtesy of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000115

Williams, John

 

Wynn, Joshua

 

 


IV.       The Militia Act of 1778

 

The following was transcribed from the Colonial Records of the State of Georgia, edited by Allen D. Candler and published in a set of 26 volumes from 1904-1926.  I have made every effort to retype this in as accurately as possible, but I am certain there are some misplaced commas and such. 

 

AN ACT, for the better ordering and regulating of the Militia of this State.

 

WHEREAS a well ordered and disciplined Militia, is essentially necessary, to the Safety, peace and prosperity, of this State, and a Militia Law, upon just principles hath ever been regarded, as the best Security of Liberty and the most effectual Means, of drawing forth and exerting the Natural Strength of a State, BE IT ENACTED and it is hereby enacted by the Representatives of the People of the State of Georgia in general Assembly met, and by the authority of the same, That the Governor or Commander in Chief for the time being, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, shall have power to assemble and call together all Male Persons, except as hereafter excepted, in this State, from the age of Fifteen to Sixty Years, with the Towns, divisions, Counties, Parishes or places within this State, at such times, and Arm and Array them, in such manner as is hereafter expressed and declared, and to form them into Companies, Troops and Regiments, and in case of Insurrection, Rebellion or Invasion them to lead, conduct, or employ, or cause to be led, conducted, and employed, as well within the said Towns, divisions, Counties, parishes or places within this State, for suppressing all such insurrections, as may happen to be, AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that in every division within this State, there shall be formed, one or more Battalion or Battalions, as the case may happen and within every Parish, in the respective divisions, one or more, Company, or Companies, which said Battalions and Companies shall consist of such Number of Men, as follows:  That is to say, each Battalion [space left blank]   men, and each Company of not more than Sixty or less than Twenty-five men (except the Grenadiers, Light Infantry and the Independent Artillery Companies) one Captain two Lieutenants and not more than, four Sergeants, and the said Companies so formed, shall, and they are hereby required, to elect by Ballot, fit and discreet persons, within their respective divisions, to be Officers of the said Companies, in the rank and degree of Captain, first and second Lieutenants, and the said Captain, of each Company, shall have the right to appoint such Persons, to be Sergeants, as to him shall seem right, and a Suitable Person for a Clerk in his Company-

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that the Commissioned Officers, of each company, so elected and chosen as aforesaid, forming such Regiment or Battalion, of each division, in this State, shall as soon as my be, Elect by Ballot, fit, able and discreet men, to be Field Officers of the said Regiment or Battalion, consisting of one Colonel Lieutenant Colonel and one Major, and the Governor or Commanding Officer of this State, upon being properly certified of such Election of Field Officers of Regiments or Battalions and each Officer, directed, to be elected by this Act by the Persons forming themselves into Companies, is hereby required to give and grant such Officer and Officers, his and their Commissions, specifying the Nature of the Appointment, of such Officer or Officers and the duties required of him and them PROVIDED such Choice and Election be made, with two Months, from the passing of this Act, in the several Counties of this State, and it is the intent and meaning of this Act, that there be general Election thro’ this State, and where the Companies now formed, shall not proceed within the aforesaid time, to the Election of Officers, it shall be considered that the Officers already chosen are approved of, and Commissions granted them as if they had been chosen anew.  AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority ads.d. that in case of the death, or departure, from the State, or Resignation of any Officer, that hereafter may be appointed, and elected, such Vacancy shall be filled up, by some person, residing in the district, where such Company belongs, and vacancy so happening; and in Case it shall happen, that there be not twenty five men, in a district, they are forthwith, to be joined to some one or other of the Companies, nearest to such district of division.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that it shall be and may be lawful to and for the Colonel or in his absence the next Field Officer of every Battalion formed, or to be formed in this State, to cause such Companies to assemble together, within the County or division, of such Battalion, to which such Companies, shall respectively belong, And there to train and exercise such Companies in Battalions in such manner and form, and in such mode and way of exercise as shall be fixed on by the Governor and Council of this State; and all companies now formed, or that hereafter may be formed upon any Islands along the Sea Co[a]st, in this State, shall not by this Act be obliged to appear at any General Muster, but at Musters within their districts, and Islands, as often as, is hereafter pointed out and directed.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that the Captains of the several Companies, in each division or County, in this State, shall respectively enter, enlist and enroll, the names of all the Male Inhabitants, of this State, from the age of Fifteen, to Sixty Years, within their several and respective Counties, and divisions, and shall cause the several Persons so enlisted, to be duly summoned to appear, at the times and places appointed for ordinary Musters, in each respective County, and division, and the publishing the Muster days aforesaid shall be deemed a sufficient Summons, within the intent of this Act, to oblige the Persons liable to appear at such Musters and the Persons whose Names shall be so entered enlisted and enrolled shall be deemed and held to be enlisted in and to belong to the Company of that County or division in which they shall be obliged to appear at Musters and on all other occasions and to be subject to the directions of this Act without any further Notice whatsoever AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that every person liable to appear and bear Arms at any Muster, exercise or training hereby appointed, pursuant to the directions of this Act, shall constantly keep and bring with him, to such training, exercising or Muster, one good Gun, Bayonet, hanger, sword or hatchet, a Cartouch Box, twelve Cartridges a powder horn and half pound of Powder, with at least twenty four rounds of Lead, a Worm, pricker and four Flints each, to be produced at Musters and at all other times retained in every Person’s House, and it shall and may be lawful to and for the Officers of the respective Companies as many times as may be agreed upon by them to visit the Inhabitants belonging to their said Companies and to demand a sight of their Arms, Furnature Ammunition and Accoutrements aforesaid and in Case it appears any Person shall neglect or refuse to produce any of said Arms, Furnature Ammunition and Accoutrements or to suffer the same to be viewed and inspected, or if when produced the said Officers shall find the same defective, every Person offending shall forfeit a Sum not exceeding Five pounds to be recover’d and levied as other Fines are directed to be recovered by this Act and in Case any Person liable to appear and bear arms at Musters as aforesaid shall neglect or refuse to appear compleatly armed and furnished as aforesaid at any General Muster of the Battalion to which the Company in which he is entered and enlisted shall belong, every such person shall forfeit and pay a Sum not exceeding Ten pounds and in case any such Person shall neglect or refuse to appear in manner aforesaid at any ordinary Muster, every such person shall forfeit and pay a Sum not exceeding five pounds, which said several penalties shall be recovered and disposed of as herein after directed.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid that in case any Person (not herein after exempted) liable to bear Arms shall remove from one division or County to the other, it shall be lawful for the Captain or Commanding Officer of the Company to which such persons last belonged, to levy the penalties inflicted by the Act for non Appearances at Musters and for not having or being provided with sufficient Arms and Furnature, in the same manner as if such Persons had not removed from the division or County to which he belonged until such time, the Person so remaining shall produce a Certificate from the Colonel or commanding officer of the Battalion or from the Captain or Commanding Officer of the Company of the division or County into which such person shall remove, that such person is entered, enlisted and enrolled in the company of such Captain or commanding Officer of the division or Battalion to which such person is removed.

 

   AND WHEREAS it may very much contribute to the safety and welfair of this State, to have a Troop or Troops of Horse and a Company of Artillery for the first, second and third Battalion in readiness on particular and extraordinary occasions, BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid that the Governor or Commander in Chief for the time being, be hereby authorized and empowered from amongst the Inhabitants of this State who have sufficient substance to undergo the Charge and will Voluntarily come and enlist, to form a troop or troops of Horse and companies of Artillery not exceeding fifty men of each Battalion and it shall and may be lawful for the Commissioned Officers, appointed to command such troop or troops of Horse and Companies of Artillery to Muster train and Exercise them, not less than once in two Months in times of peace, at such place or places as the Commanding Officer of each troop of Horse or Company of Artillery shall direct and appoint, the said troop or troops of Horse and Companies of Artillery, to be and remain and be subject to the same pains and penalties, as other Companies now or hereafter may be raised by virtue of this Act, are, or may be, subjected to.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that every Captain or other Inferior Commissioned Officer of any company within this State who shall refuse or Neglect to conduct or lead his company or attend the same to the place of Rendezvous at any General Muster hereby appointed, or to the exercising the Company in Battalion, according to the directions of this Act, every such Captain or other inferior Commissioned Officer of any company, who shall so refuse or neglect as aforesaid, shall for every such offense forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding twenty pounds and the said Offences shall be heard and determined and the said fines levied in the same manner as other Offences of Captains or other commanding Officers of Companies by this Act, are directed to be tried, heard, determined and levied.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED that it shall and may be lawful, for every Colonel, or in his absence the next Commanding Officer, in command, and they are hereby directed to order and appoint General Musters of their respective Battalions as well of Horse as foot, not exceeding four times, nor less than twice every Year in times of War and twice in every Year, in times of peace, at such times and places in the County or division to which they respectively belong, as shall be issued in Orders by the Commanding Officer of each Battalion PROVIDED always, and it is hereby declared and enacted, that in Case of an Attack, Invasion or Insurrection made on any County in this State, it shall and may be lawfull for, and the said Colonel or other Commanding Officer, of the Battalion of such County, is hereby required to order out, lead forth and March with his said Battalion, or any part thereof, to repel such Attack, or invasion, in such way, as he may judge proper, giving immediate Notice thereof to the Governor, by express, under the penalty of One hundred pounds, and also every Captain or other Commanding Officer, of the several Companies, in this State, are hereby directed, and required, to assemble, Muster, train and exercise, their respective Companies for ordinary Musters, Once in every Month in time of War and once in every two Months in time of peace, in such way, and at such times and places, as the said Captains or other Commissioned Officers of Companies shall or may think fit to appoint, giving Notice of such Muster by beat of drum, or in such other expeditious manner as such Colonel, Captain, or other Commanding Officer shall think fit PROVIDED also and it is hereby declared that no person or Persons whatsoever shall be compelled or obliged, at any General Muster, to go out of the County, where such Person resides, nor to remain at the place of such General or Ordinary Musters, above one day, except in time of Actual Rebellion, insurrection, or invasion, or State of Alarm, that may happen-

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that the said Field Officers, hereby are declared to have a right, and are directed to appoint, proper Persons, to be Adjutant and Quarter Master, of their respective Battalions, AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that no Civil Officer whatsoever shall on any pretence execute any Process (unless for treason, Felony or Breach of Peace) on any person whatsoever at any Muster, or other time, when such Person, is obliged to bear Arms, in direction of this Act, nor in going to, or returning from, any Muster, or place of Rendezvous, or within twenty four Hours, after such Persons shall be discharged, from appearing in the Battalion or Company, to which he shall belong, under the penalty of Twenty five pounds, and the service of any such process, on any such Person is hereby declared to be void, and all Arms and Furnature, which are by this Act required to be provided, shall not be liable to be seized, destrained or taken, in Execution for any cause whatsoever under the penalty of Fifty pounds, to be sued for and recovered against the Person or persons so offending, in such Manner as hereafter directed-  AND WHEREAS to repel the Invasion of any publick Enemy and to suppress any dangerous insurrection or Rebellion, it may be absolutely necessary to assemble and raise the greatest part of the Militia of this State BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that if the Governor or Commander in Chief for the time being, shall receive information, that any Enemy, or armed force, shall suddenly intend to invade this State, or if any dangerous insurrection or Rebellion, shall be actually raised, which cannot be suppressed by one single Company, it shall and may be lawful for the said Governor and Commander in Chief for the time being, by and with the advise & consent of a Majority of the Executive Council then present, to raise and Assemble so many of the Battalions, Troops, and Companies of this State, as the said Governor or Commander in Chief shall think sufficient and able to repel and suppress any such Invasion, insurrection or Rebellion and for the more effectual execution thereof, it shall and may be lawful for the said Governor or Commander in Chief, for the time being, with the consent aforesaid to make and publish, or cause to be made and published and Alarm throughout the whole State, by firing six Guns, two at a time, three Minutes distance, and by sending Orders and expresses to the Field Officers or other Officers of the Militia, to raise their several and respective Battalions, Troops or Companies, or such part of them as shall be ordered to march and rendezvous at such proper times and places within this State, as the said Governor or Commander in Chief shall think Fit, and the said Alarms shall be carried on thro’ the whole State, by all the commissioned Officers of the militia in the most convenient and ready way from place to place and by speedily raising their several companies, and taking all effectual measures, to give notice of the Motion of the Enemy, and forwarding with the utmost expedition all necessary Information, to the Governor or Commander in Chief, and by putting in Execution all such orders as they shall receive from their Superior Officers, And in case any person liable to bear arms shall refuse or neglect, to communicate any alarm that may happen, or give notice according to his best endeavors, of the Enemies approach, every Person so offending shall Forfeit and pay the Sum of Fifty pounds, and in case any such person after he hath given notice of an Alarm, does not forthwith repair, compleatly Armed and accoutred as aforesaid, with all convenient speed, to the place where the Regiment, Troop or Company, to which he shall belong shall be appointed to Rendezvous, every such Person shall forfeit a Sum not exceeding one hundred pounds.

 

AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that when it shall so happen, that the Militia of this State, or any part thereof, are raised and embodied, and incamped or marching, with intent to oppose the Enemy, or otherwise to act in defence of this State, such Militia on duty as aforesaid, shall be subject to the Continental Articles of War, are hereby declared to be the rule of conduct of such Militia, and all officers and privates, so on duty aforesaid, are hereby directed to govern themselves in conformity thereto, except in cases, where, by the said Continental Articles of War, Corporal Punishment, of any nature is ordered to be inflicted, and instead of such Corporal Punishment, pecuniary Mulcts and Fines shall be inflicted, levied and recovered from Offenders, not exceeding Fifty pounds, for any offence to the adjudged of by a Court Martial, in such manner as is hereafter directed, And in case the person so offending, shall think himself aggrieved by such a Fine, he has authority thereby, to appeal from such sentence of a Regimental Court Martial, to a General Court Martial.

 

AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that in case of an Alarm, insurrection or invasion, all Field Officers, or Captains are hereby directed to make application to the nearest Magistrate where any Militia, on duty may be stationed, and make known to the said Magistrate, if need be, the necessity, of impressing provisions and other necessary Articles for the use of such Militia, or others encamped, or Marching to oppose the Enemy as aforesaid, and upon such Case being known, and the necessity appearing, the said Magistrate is hereby required, to issued a Warrant under his hand & seal, directed to any Constable of the County or Parish, Officer or Private of such Battalion, Troop or Company requiring them or either of them, to impress any provisions, Horses, Waggons Carriages, Boats or Vessels, with their Furnature and appurtances, and whatever other things they shall want, or need of, and as are expressed in the warrant for that purpose, to and for the use of this State; And the said provisions or other things so impressed as aforesaid, by those empowered to do so, shall be brought to, and appraised and valued on Oath by three or more indifferent persons, beeing Freeholders and competent to judge of the things so impressed, and that when the same shall be so valued and appraised, the said officer shall give a receipt to the Owner thereof, and that he do cause the said valuation and appraisement, to be entered in a Book, for that purpose, and that the said appraisers, shall appraise & ascertain any loss or damage that may happen or befall to the said Effects, so impressed for the service aforesaid, or allow a competent hire for the same when returned to the said owners, as the case shall require, and the same to the given under the hands of the appraisers, certified by such commanding officer, to the Owner or Owners, directed to the Governor & Council who if they approve of the same, shall draw on the Treasurer for the Amount of such certificate, who are hereby ordered to pay the same, and also that such Commanding Officer of such Battalion or Company after such alarm shall be over, and before his men be discharged, shall order as many persons, under his command as may be necessary, to return such Horses, Boats, or other effects they shall have impressed, to the respective owners they giving receipt upon the delivery of the same, and the persons returning the Effects herein before mentioned shall be allowed a reasonable sum of Money for their trouble, upon producing a Certificate of such Service being performed, by the Commanding Officer, and of which the said officer shall judge, and draw on the Treasurers of this State, for and who are directed to pay the same sum of Money so allowed as aforesaid.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that the Commanding Officer, or Captain of each Company do lodge and secure in some convenient place, for the public use all provision and ammunition impressed, by virtue of any Warrant for that purpose, and that shall remain unexpended after an Alarm, and that he transmit the same to the public Commissary within twenty days after such alarm is over, and the Commissary is hereby required to lay such accounts before the Governor or Commander in Chief for the time being, who is hereby authorised and empowered, by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, to order such remaining stores to be sold, and the Monies arising therefrom to be paid into the public Treasury, to be disposed of, as the General Assembly shall direct, AND WHEREAS in time of invasion, if the Militia of the whole State, were to be assembled, great danger might arise from Insurrections, or other wicked Attempts of Slaves, for the prevention thereof BE IT ENACTED by the authority of the aforesaid, that when it shall be found necessary, to march the several Battalions, Troops or Companies, or any of them, out of their proper divisions or Counties one third part at least of every Company in this State, shall stay and remain where they belong, and be formed into patrols under the command of such officers, as the Commissioned Officers of the Company shall appoint, and under whose command, they shall respectively continue, until the rest of the Company shall return to their habitations, and be discharged from bearing arms, and the Patrols so formed shall be obliged to be on constant duty, and to ride patrole and guard the plantations, and keep the Slaves, in good order, and place proper Guards, Centinels and Watches, at proper places, to give notice of danger, and to take up all white Persons who cannot give a satisfactory account of themselves and carry them before a Justice of the Peace to be dealt with as is directed by the Vagrant Act, and the said Patrol hereby established, have full power and authority, to take up try and punish, all disorderly and mischievous Slaves by ordering such Slave or Slaves, a number of lashes not exceeding thirty nine and in case any person or persons whatsoever, who shall stay & remain as aforesaid shall neglect or refuse to ride patrol or to watch, stand Centinel or keep Guard, or do any other duty hereby enjoined, or shall refuse to obey the lawful Commands of any person who shall be appointed to command such Patrol, every person so offending shall forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding Ten pounds sterling.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that when any Company, shall receive Orders to march out of their County or division, the Captain or other Commanding Officer, present, shall cause the names of all the persons who are entered & enrolled in such Company to be wrote down on small pieces of paper, to be folded up and put into a Hat, shaken together, and the Clerk or Sergeant of the said Company shall draw out of the hat, the names of so many persons as will exceed two thirds of the said Company; and the persons whose names shall be drawn, shall march according to such orders as may be given for that purpose, by their Superior Officer, PROVIDED that after they are drafted, they shall continue in rotation untill the whole Company has done duty, and the rest of the Company so remaining in their several Counties or divisions, are directed and required to do the patrol duty as directed by this Act; PROVIDED always, that if any person whose name shall be drawn as aforesaid, and be thereby obliged to march, can procure an able man, to be approved by the majority of the Officers of the Company, to which such Persons belong, compleatly armed and Furnished, as this Act directs, every such person shall be permitted and have liberty to do so, and upon sending out such able man in his stead, shall be excused from marching in person PROVIDED also, that the person who procures and sends another, in his room, shall not withstanding be obliged to do patrol duty, as formed by this Act, and shall be subject to all the penalties and forfeitures by this Act inflicted, on such as shall be guilty of disobedience, or neglect or refuse to ride in such patrol.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the Authority aforesaid, that if any officer of Militia, or any other Person whatsoever who by this Act, shall be obliged to bear arms, shall knowingly or willfully, in time of Rebellion, insurrection or invasion, offend in anything against this Act, or shall neglect or refuse to do, execute or perform, any Act, matter or thing, which by this Act is required, directed prescribed or enjoined by him or them to be done, executed or performed, for which no particular penalty, is hereby inflicted, that every Person so offending neglecting or refusing, as aforesaid, shall incur, forfeit and pay the several mulcts penalties and forfeitures, following, that is to say, if such Person so offending, refusing or neglecting as aforesaid, shall be a commissioned officer of the Militia, above the degree of a Captain, the several persons hereby impowered to hear & determine offences committed against this Act, shall and may and they are hereby authorized & empowered to inflict on such person a pecuniary mulct or fine not exceeding the sum of one hundred and Fifty pounds, and in case the person offending, shall be a Captain, or any inferior commissioned officer under the degree of a Captain in the Militia, a pecuniary mulct or fine shall be inflicted as aforesaid, not exceeding the sum of one hundred pounds, and if any non-commissioned officer of the respective troops or Companies, or any private person that is obliged to bear arms as aforesaid, shall offend in anything against this Act, for which no particular penalty is inflicted, there shall be inflicted as aforesaid a Mulct or Fine not exceeding the sum of Fifty pounds, according to the nature of the offence but if any person so offending shall have no goods to be levied on, and shall neglect or refuse to pay the mulct, or fine which shall be inflicted as aforesaid, for the space of ten days, he shall be committed, to the next common Gaol, or other place of confinement, and there to remain for a space of time not exceeding one month.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that all offences against this Act, shall be examined and heard and tried, adjudged and determined, in manner following, that is to say all offences committed by any Field Officer shall be heard, tried and determined, by the Governor of this State, for the time beeing, and a Majority of the Council, and all offences committed by any Captain or inferior commissioned Officer shall be heard, tried and determined by a Court Martial to consist of not less than seven Commissioned officers of the Battallion, to which such Captain or inferior Officer shall belong; and all offences committed by any non commissioned officer, or private person, who by this Act is obliged to bear Arms, shall be heard, tried & determined before the Majority of the commissioned Officers of the troop or Company, to which such person shall belong, at such time or times place or places as the said Officers shall think fit, to assemble and meet together and the said Commissioned Officers of the said troop or Company or a Majority of them, shall proceed against such offender or offenders so summoned in the most expeditious and summary way without observing formalities of law, only examining the truth of the Case, by the examination of witnesses upon oath and such other Evidence as can speedily be had, and upon conviction of any offender the said Governor & Council or field Officers, or Commissioned Officers respectively, are fully authorized and empowered to levy the mulcts and penalties inflicted by warrant of distress and Sale of the offender’s goods, returning the overplus if any there be, but in case the offenders shall refuse to produce Goods, then by warrant to commit the offenders to the next Common Gaol, or other place of Confinement, and in case it shall so happen, that if any Person or Persons, against whose Body such Warrant shall be granted as aforesaid, shall be refractory and refuse to give obedience thereunto, the Marshals or Sergeants aforesaid or other person or persons, to who such Warrant shall be directed, are hereby impowered and required to demand all necessary assistance to compel such offender to the common Gaol or other place of Confinement and all the Charges and expence which shall attend the execution of the Warrant of Commitment aforesaid, shall be taxed and ascertained by any Justice of the Peace in this State, who is hereby required to do the same, without Fee or Reward, and such taxation shall be delivered to the keeper of the said Gaol, together with the said Warrant, and such offender shall remain in prison for the space of one Month, untill the said fine or Mulct, and the charges and expences so taxed, shall be fully paid and satisfied.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED By the Authority aforesaid, that al fines and penalties whatsoever except as hereafter excepted shall be applied in providing Drums Colours arms and other accoutrements for the use of the Battalion Troop or Company to which such Officer or private so fined respectively belongs.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that one half of all Fines incurred for non appearance at private and General Musters be given to the Sergeants of the respective Companies for their trouble in collecting the Fines which may be incurred under and by virtue of this Act.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that the Militia of this State when ordered out on scouting shall be entitled to the following pay for such time as they may be actual service viz.t   Officers and privates the sum of one shilling and three pence per diem, for pay, and two shillings and three pence in lieu of rations, and proper pay Rolls shall be produced of the names of the Persons doing such duty, the date of their entrance and discharge and by whose orders the same was done, which shall be certified by the Commanding Officer of the department, and attested by the Officer commanding the Scout.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, by the authority aforesaid, that nothing in this Act, shall extend to oblige the following Persons from doing common Militia duty—Vizt the Members of the House of Assembly, Chief Justice, Attorney General, School Masters, Ministers of the Gospel, Collectors of the Customs, Printer, Auditor general, except in cases of Alarm and that the Persons herein after named, be exempt from all Militia duty, to-wit—the Governor and Executive Council, Physicians, Surgeons, Pilots, Ferrymen, Sheriffs, Treasurers, Lunaticks, Idiots and Madmen.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that in order that neither officer or men may plead Ignorance, it is further directed, that the Commanding Officer of each company shall cause this Act, to be read at the head of his Company at least three times in every Year & in case of neglect he shall be fined in a sum not exceeding twenty pounds.

 

   AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED by the authority aforesaid, that this Act shall continue and be of force, for and during the term of three years, and from thence to the end of the next session of Assembly, unless the same be altered, revised and amended by this or some future House of Assembly.

 

   By order of the House

 

                                                 NW Jones Speaker.

 

   November 15: 1778

 


V.         BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF ORIGINAL MEMBERS

 

The following is a small listing of Wilkes County and Georgia Refugee militiamen (and associated women) and some information about them, gathered from various sources on the Internet.  Obviously, there were many more who served who are not listed here, so if you know of any additional members (serving from the years 1775-1783) who should be listed, please contact THE GEORGIA REFUGEES at atoglesb@bellsouth.net.  Please provide a web address to get us to the information, or send the information in your email.  PLEASE NOTE, we are relying upon the individual researchers to insure the accuracy of this list, so if any mistakes are noted, use the reference link to contact the source to let them know of any corrections, and drop us a line, too, so that we can make our own corrections. 

 

Also note that the listing includes members of the militia from all over Wilkes County, not just Cunningham’s Company or Dooly’s Regiment.  Many are listed as having served with Elijah Clarke. 

 

Clarke’s certifications of various men as having served under him has come under some scrutiny among scholars, along with some of the land claims in which he was involved.  This is due in part to the possibility of fraud in parceling out land warrants and lottery lands, and due to some confusion regarding to whom land could be granted.  A citizen with no military service could be awarded a land grant basically for not hindering the troops or other rebel enterprises.   There are many such applications certified by Clarke, but simply because he certified them does not mean that person was a soldier.  Further, soldiers from outside of Georgia who served under Clarke were awarded land.  Therefore, there may be some questions about whether the men listed as having served with him actually did.  We have decided to go ahead and include them on this list if the source states they were Georgia soldiers or serving in the Georgia militia, until such time as their service can be disproved.

 

Alexander (?-?) and John Awtrey (?-January 2, 1788)—Officers in the Wilkes County Militia under Clarke.  (This Alexander and John are probably  the same persons as John and Alex Owtry listed in the muster roll further below.)

http://www.pone.com/ts/rw002.htm

 

Richard Aycock (1739?-1786?)—Wilkes County survey chain carrier, magistrate, justice of the peace, sheriff, married the widow of Dempsey Hinton, and was present at the Battle of Kettle Creek.

http://www.familyhistoryhouse.com/Research/Research%20A-G/Aycock/richard.htm

 

George Barber (1737?-1822)—Lieutenant and later captain in Wilkes County Militia under Clarke.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~dmorgan/revol.html

 

Andrew Bankston (1754-18?)—Private under Clarke and Williamson.

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~gormleym/bankston/d175.htm#P175

 

 

William Black—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Richard Burton (1735-1800)—Served under Clarke in Georgia.  No mention of wife’s violet eyes.

http://dubbie.tripod.com/wonder/dar1.html

 

Micajah BrooksListed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Isham Burke—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Robert Carr (1745?-March? 1779)—Captain under Dooly.  Killed by Indians near Beaver Dam Creek while on furlough.

http://www.gnbi.com/REGAN/maillist/Msg317.htm

 

Elijah Clarke (1733-December 15, 1799)—Nice capsule history of Clarke, including a short bit on his postbellum establishment of the independent Republic of Georgia (Trans-Oconee Republic).

http://home.earthlink.net/~cajunboy/ThePatriot/people/clarke.html

 

Hannah Harrington Clarke—“The Heroine of the Hornet’s Nest.”  Nice article about the life of Elijah Clarke’s wife by Beverly L. Pack.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~nwa/Clarke.html

 

Francis Coleman—Served under Clarke in Georgia.

http://dubbie.tripod.com/wonder/dar1.html

 

Thomas Connell, Sr. (1743?-1838?)—Served in the North Carolina Continental Line, emigrated to Wilkes County and served in Captain James Hawkins company.  Participated in the sieges of Augusta and Savannah.

http://www1.iwvisp.com/cmwood/CONSOUTH.htm

 

John Crutchfield of Fortunatus, b. 2-17-1748 in Hanover County, Va., died 4-3-1811, in Green County, Ga.—His name, along with Wm. Crutchfield (a brother or cousin) appears in the Wilkes County, Georgia Court Minutes in 1779, in a service related matter.  It seems Cols. Dooly & Pickins dispatched John and William into the British camp as spies, whereupon they were captured and had some explaining to do.  Contributed to Susan Gay-Peterson’s Glynn County, GA Website by Richard Crotwell a Crutchfield descendant. http://petersnn.org/petersnn/revwar.htm

 

William Crutchfield—All information points to this as being the man who was tried for treason at the Aug. 1779 Term of Wilkes County, Georgia Court, found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged Sept. 6, 1779.  John was apparently acquitted.  From Susan Gay-Peterson’s Glynn County, GA Website, http://petersnn.org/petersnn/revwar.htm

 

John Cunningham—The second namesake of our group, and again a person for whom little is listed on the Internet.  Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

James Combs—Third Company of Wilkes County Militia (this is possibly a post war listing—clarifications would be greatly appreciated-the Adj.)

http://www.combs-families.org/combs/records/ga-wilk.htm#earliest

 

Austin Dabney—Learn about a gambler, horse breeder, free man of colour, and Georgia Refugee in this great article by Carole E. Scott.  Also read a bit about one of his contemporaries, Mammy Kate.

http://www.westga.edu/~cscott/dabney.html

 

William Daniell—Appears to have been in service in Wilkes County as a private under Clarke.

http://northernwinds.freeservers.com/daniell.html

 

John Dooly—The namesake of our recreated group, but for whom little is available on the Internet.  Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

William Evans (1746-1806)—Served under Clarke as a lieutenant.

http://www.combs-families.org/combs/marriage/dar-100.htm

 

Ebenezer Fain (August 27, 1762-December 29, 1842)—Born in Pennsylvania, fought in Virginia, South Carolina, and finally with Captain Cunningham’s Company.  Good information.

http://128.192.6.113/MyTestPage/faindocs.htm

 

William Fitzpatrick (1744-1823)—Served as a lieutenant under Clarke.

http://users.erols.com/someday/Fitzpatrick.html

 

Owen Fluker—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

William Freeman—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Charles, William, and Benjamin Geeslin—Names only, with the information that they served in the Wilkes County Militia.  We are awaiting more word from Mattie Thomas, the person who submitted the names.

 

Charles Gent—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Jesse Gordon (October 3, 1755-August 27, 1850)—Detailed letter to an U.S. Senator from Illinois noting Gordon enlisted and fought under several different officers, including Gunnell. 

http://www.iltrails.org/jackson/gordltr.htm

 

Daniel Gunnell(s) (1740?-1806)—Listed as Capt. 2nd Co. 4th Battalion, Wilkes County, 28 Oct 1777.   Fought at Kettle Creek,  Feb 14 1779. Listed as Wilkes Co Regiment, Ga. Militia (140 men), Wilkes Dragoons—Captain Daniel Gunnell. 

http://www.uftree.com/UFT/WebPages/JamesFGunnells/GUNNELLS/d0/i0000026.htm 

 

Robert Hamilton (?-1810)—Submitted by descendant Carol Whitehead; was a member of the Georgia assembly and a Colonel in the Sons of Liberty. He was one of the leaders in the tarring and feathering of the Colonial Governor Brown. He lived in Wilkes and Morgan County (AL) after the war and died in 1810 in Morgan Co.

 

William HammettListed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Nancy Morgan Hart—aka Wahatchee, the War Woman.  Large website devoted to another of the larger-than-life women of Wilkes County.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6651/

 

James Hays—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Jesse Faulkner Heard (1749 Virginia-1803 Wilkes Co).—Fought with Elijah Clarke as a rifleman.

http://familyclan.net/hunterjessei.htm

 

Dempsey Hinton (?-1779)—Died defending a fort near Kettle Creek

http://www.familyhistoryhouse.com/Research/Research%20A-G/Aycock/richard.htm

 

Absalom Hooper—Originally enrolled in the South Carolina Continental Line, captured at Charleston, escaped and fled to Georgia to fight under Clarke in Gunnell’s company.

http://www.fscompass.com/hooper/ahfdpnsn.html

 

Jesse Hooper—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Lambeth Hopkins (1741?-1798)—Believed by some to be a brother of the elder Dennis, and who had been a sworn chain carrier in the 1756 survey for a Granville Grant of 200 acres to John Hopkins. Later he was in Montgomery County, NC. Still later, covering at least some of the Revolution years (1776-1783) he was in Wilkes County, GA, and served during the war in a company of Georgia Militia. He received several land grants -- some for his Revolutionary service -- and acquired fairly large landholdings.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jvoran/hopkins/lambeth.htm

 

There is also a listing at http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~ahopkins/ga-Clarke1.htm which contains a copy of the muster roll of Captain Carr’s Company from 15 September to 15 October, 1778, in which Hopkins and many more men are listed.  This list was found in the book Georgia’s Roster of the Revolution by Lucian L. Knight.  If any of you have any information about these men, please contact us:

 

John Owtry, first Lieut
George Runnels, second Lieut
Zachariah Henderson, Sargt
Lambert Hopkins
Robert Trapp
Saunders Walker
John Coats
Black Sanger
Alix Owtry, Ser
William Hopkins
Tunstall Roan
Wm. Jackson
Henry Summerill
Moses Trapp
Luke John Morgan
Asa Morgan
John F. Fling
Robert Hammott, Ser
Robert Hammot jr.
Wm. Phillips
Wm. Ellis
Fredrick Ellis
Edwd Hammett
Jacob Owtry
Jacob Williams
Isaac Williams
Dennis Maddod (sic)
George Bagby
Jonathon Higgin
Robert McNaon (sic)
Thomas Norton
Alex Owtry
John Phillips, Ser
Benjamin Phillips
Wm Young
Daniel Young

 

James Johnston—Possibly served under Clarke as a sergeant.

http://www.geneoakes.com/genesancestry53.htm

 

Dr. Thomas Johnson (?-September 5, 1805)—Served at a lieutenant under Clarke.

http://hometown.aol.com/hollwd/Betty.htm

 

Charles Jordan, II—Captain commandant of Fort Wells and Fort Rogers, died at Augusta during second British attack.  Sons Samuel, Dempsey and Charles III.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/kettle/dempsey_and_samuel_jordan.htm

 

Charles Jordan, III (1764-August 1832)—Enrolled in Wilkes County militia in 1780, son of Charles Jordan II, brother of Dempsey and Samuel

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/kettle/dempsey_and_samuel_jordan.htm

 

Dempsey Jordan (December 6, 1754-November 3, 1833)—Son of Charles Jordan, II and brother of Charles III and Samuel.  Served under John McIntosh at Savannah, 1776-1778, then reenlisted with Elijah Clarke at Augusta.

http://www.orrellfamily.com/Members/BOB/BobALL/pafn97.htm and at

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/kettle/dempsey_and_samuel_jordan.htm

 

Samuel Jordan (August 18, 1749-1835)—Son of Charles Jordan, II and brother of Dempsey and Charles III, served at Fort Wells

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/kettle/dempsey_and_samuel_jordan.htm

 

Mammy Kate—Here is another, longer, article about Kate’s exploits from Beverly L. Pack.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~nwa/mammy.html

 

William Killgore, Sr. (?-1790)—Served under Elijah Clarke

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~allenatk/kilgen.htm

 

Shadrack Kimbrough (many spelling variations) (176?-184?)—Served from the fall of Augusta to the end of the war.

http://home.earthlink.net/~sks6/ga/shadk.html

 

John Lankford (1763?-184?)—Enlisted in the company of Captain Elijah Clarke, in the Wilkes County Militia.  On 7 April 1784 he was certified by General Clarke as a Revolutionary soldier entitled to bounty land. On 11 December 1784 he received pay from the U.S. Government for his services on an earlier expedition against the British in East Florida.

http://www.gate.net/~glang/johnlang.html

 

Fredrick Lawrence (?-1779)—Died some time after fighting at Kettle Creek.

http://www.genealogy.com/genealogy/users/l/a/w/Henry-H-Lawrence/?Welcome=983479796

 

Thomas Leverett (May 12, 1755-June 8, 1834)—A Baptist preacher, born in Wilkes County, served first as a Ranger, and in 1780, joined Captain John Clarke’s Company at Columbia Court House.  He served 18 months under Colonel Elijah Clarke, Josiah Dunn, and Samuel Alexander.  He was honorably discharged.  In 1781, he enlisted in the Georgia Continental Line, where he served for 3 years, until the close of the War.  Also had nine brothers who also served.

http://familyclan.net/leverittthomas.htm

 

James Little—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

David Madden—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Jacob Mercer—(April 12, 1753-August 6, 1837)—Heard’s Company, Dooly’s Regiment

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/kettle/jacob_mercer.htm

 

Joseph Nail, Sr. —Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Joseph Nail, Jr.—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Benijah Noridyke—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Dionysius Oliver (1735-1808)—Site states he served as captain of a privateer, and fought at Kettle Creek and at King’s Mountain, later captured by the British.  After the war, founded the town of Petersbourough.  http://www.flash.net/~johnsonl/edoliver.htm

 

William Thomas Riddle—Tory or patriot?  Good article from a Riddle family researcher.  Included here because it is a good example of someone trying to figure out history though very muddy glasses.

http://www.jimcal.com/v03is01.htm

 

Drury and Reuben Rogers—Brothers serving in Wilkes County under Clarke

http://home.att.net/~jemjr/i262.htm

 

Archibald Simpson—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Burnwell Smith—Major, Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

James (1725?-1799) and Nathan (1751-1816) Smith—Father and son who served with Elijah Clarke in Wilkes County.  Thanks to descendant Barron T. Smith for providing the names.

 

Peter Strozier—A compelling court account given by his widow, Margaret in applying for a pension.  Mentions that her husband fought at Kettle Creek, King’s Mountain, and other actions.  Very interesting read.

http://www.genealogy.com/users/p/l/a/Jonathan-Plant/FILE/0008text.txt  Also another portion of information can be found at http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/kettle/strozier.htm

 

James and Phillip Summerhill—Brothers who came to Georgia as members of the Maryland Militia and served under General Elijah Clarke (the particular battle is not listed)  Also granted a land warrant, which was sold to Clarke, and the brothers returned to Maryland.  Note that there is also a Henry Summerill in the muster roll above.

http://members.aol.com/ASRogers2/RevWar.html

 

Alexander Thompson (1739-1815)—A Refugee to Georgia serving under Clarke at King’s Mountain.

http://dubbie.tripod.com/wonder/dar1.html

 

Benjamin Thompson—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

David H. Thurmond—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

George Tucker—Ranger with John Dooly, later spy and soldier under Clarke’s command.

http://www.genealogy.com/genealogy/users/j/o/h/Addie-Johnson/?Welcome=982964610

 

Levin Watson—A very full and complete pension application given in 1833 detailing his service in Wilkes County, Georgia and in South Carolina, and his affiliations with various commanders.

http://www.inct.net/~german/revwar/watson.htm

 

John Webb—Listed on the Kettle Creek monument.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gawilkes/roster.htm

 

Jacob Williams—Definitely NOT a Georgia Refugee, but rather one of their prisoners.  The following witness can be found on The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies website:

 

“I do Certify that Some time in August or beginning of September 1778 I heard that one Jacob WILLIAMS was taken Prisoner Passing thro’ the upper parts of Georgia towards North Carolina, and carried before one Colo. John Dooly, who had him Searched, and found him to be an Officer in the Florida scout, which appeared by a Commission in his possession.

 

Some days after I went to the Fort w[h]ere he was confin’d and there saw him in Irons. I spoke with him & advised him what was first to be done and in a few days after I heard he had made his escape.

 

Thos. WATERS St. Augustine 14th May 1784”

http://www.royalprovincial.com/military/mems/nc/clmwilliams2.htm

 

James Williams—(1757-18?)  Fought under Elijah Clarke at Kettle Creek.

http://www.familyorigins.com/users/m/c/l/Linda-Lee-Mclinn/FAMO1-0001/d134.htm

 

Micajah Williamson—Brief mention, with the notation that he fought under Elijah Clarke (the nomenclature of the unit seems odd, so this may be a bit inaccurate-the Adj.)

http://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/kemp/v881.html

 

James Yarbrough—Served under a Colonel Samuel Jack and under Clarke.  Many land grant records.

http://pages.prodigy.net/blankenstein/james.htm

 

*****

 



[1] Britannica Online Article. http://208.154.71.60/bcom/eb/article/2/0,5716,24222+1+23851,00.html