The Revolutionary War 1775-1783

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The Revolutionary War1775-1783
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• The colonists who rebelled against British rule
  were called patriots.
• They were made up of a wide variety of social
  groups.
• Some were college students.
• Others were farmers.

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• Loyalists were colonists who stayed loyal to
  Britain.
• They were also called Tories.
• They wanted Britain to continue ruling the
  colonies.

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Lexington and Concord

• April 19th, 1775 The Battle of Lexington and
  Concord started the American Revolution
• Minutemen vs British Troops
• Royal government in Georgia begins to fall apart.

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Washingtons Headaches

• Only 1/3 of the colonists were in favor of a war
  for independence the other third were Loyalists,
  and the final third were neutral.
• State/colony loyalties.
• Congress couldnt tax to raise money for the
  Continental Army.
• Poor training until the arrival of Baron von
  Steuben.

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Military Strategies
The Americans
The British

• Attrition the Brits had a long supply line.
• Guerilla tactics fight an insurgent war ? you
  dont have to win a battle, just wear the British
  down
• Make an alliance with one of Britains enemies.

• Break the colonies in half by getting between the
  No. the So.
• Blockade the ports to prevent the flow of goods
  and supplies from an ally.
• Divide and Conquer ? use the Loyalists.

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The Revolution in Georgia

• Most people in Georgia thought British taxes were
  unfair.
• However, Georgia had done well under British
  rule.
• Many colonists feared that without British
  troops, they would be attacked by Native
  Americans.

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The Revolution in Georgia

• People in Georgia slowly changed their minds
  about joining the revolution.
• They sent three representatives to the Second
  Continental Congress.
• Lyman Hall, Button Gwinnett, George Walton.
• These three men signed the Declaration of
  Independence in 1776.

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The Revolution in Georgia

• Gwinnett was a planter who was elected to
  Georgias Commons House of Assembly in 1769.
• When the Revolutionary War began, Gwinnett led
  opponents of the Whig Party from all parts of
  Georgia.
• He was elected by these people to command
  Georgias Continental battalion in early 1776,
  but gave up office to join the Continental
  Congress in Philadelphia.

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The Revolution in Georgia

• He helped ensure the passage of Georgias first
  Constitution, in 1777.
• That same year, he was appointed Georgias
  president and commander-in-chief.

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The Revolution in Georgia

• One of the first battles he fought was in
  Florida.
• Gwinnett led a group of soldiers into the battle,
  but they had to retreat.
• The military campaign caused a fight between
  Gwinnett and another military leader.

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The Revolution in Georgia

• The two men fought in a duel to settle the
  dispute.
• Gwinnett was shot and died on May 19, 1777.
• Gwinnett County, Georgia, was named for him.

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The Revolution in Georgia

• Walton was a patriot, active in the revolutionary
  government.
• After signing the Declaration of Independence,
  Walton returned to Savannah.
• He was captured there by the British in 1778. By
  1779, he had been released and was elected
  governor of the colony.

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The Revolution in Georgia

• He held the following jobs
• Chief justice of Georgia
• Delegate to the Constitutional Convention
• Member of the Electoral College
• Governor
• U.S. senator
• Justice of the state superior court.

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The Battle of Kettle Creek

• Loyalists thought they could recruit many
  supporters in the South.
• They believed there were loyalist groups secretly
  waiting to be rescued by British troops.
• The Battle of Kettle Creek proved them wrong.

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The Battle of Kettle Creek

• The battle took place on February 14, 1779.
• Loyalist James Boyd and his troop of 600 were
  camping at Kettle Creek, on their way to Augusta,
  Georgia.
• A group of patriots half the size of loyalist
  forces, snuck up and attacked Boyds troop.
• One of the patriot leaders in charge of the
  attack was Elijah Clarke of Georgia.

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The Battle of Kettle Creek

• The patriots killed Boyd and 19 of his troop
  members.
• Loyalist forces fled after hearing the news of
  Boyds death.
• Twenty-two loyalists were captured, and the
  remaining either returned to the British army or
  were later captured by patriot forces.

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The Battle of Kettle Creek

• Other fighters at Kettle Creek included Austin
  Dabney, an enslaved person who served under
  Clarke.
• He was the only African American soldier to fight
  in the battle.
• In recognition of his bravery, the state of
  Georgia gave Dabney some land.
• He was the only African American to receive such
  an honor in Georgia.

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The Battle of Kettle Creek

• Nancy Hart, the wife of a lieutenant who served
  under Elijah Clarke, also played a role at Kettle
  Creek.
• She spied on the loyalists and told the patriot
  soldiers what she learned.
• According to some accounts, she shot at least two
  loyalists at the Battle of Kettle Creek.
• Kettle Creek gave the patriots a small victory.
• More importantly, it proved that the loyalists
  had little support in the southern colonies.

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The Siege of Savannah

• In the summer 1779, Georgias Royal Governor Sir
  James Wright returned to Georgia to restore the
  colony to the British Crown.
• Not long after Wrights return, a French fleet
  surprised Georgias loyalists in the hopes of
  recapturing Savannah for the patriots.
• Soldiers from France and Haiti fought with the
  patriots to secure Savannah.
• The Battle of Savannah did not go well for the
  patriots.

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The Siege of Savannah

• The patriots suffered around 1,000 casualties,
  while the British only lost 18 people.
• The French retreated and Georgias patriots
  followed.
• The siege had failed.
• The British controlled Savannah until the end of
  the war in 1782.

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The End of the War

• 1780 Britian holds most of Georgia
• Whigs and Tories fight in the backcountry
• 1781 Whigs recapture Augusta
• In Yorktown the British surrender to General
  George Washington

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The End of the Warin Georgia

• 1782 British and 2,000 Tories and their slaves
  leave Georgia
• War Ends with the Treaty of Paris in 1783
• Britain had to return Florida to Spain at the end
  of the war
• Unfriendly Indians still in Georgia boundaries

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Summary

• What role did Georgia play in the American
  Revolution. (Include Elijah Clarke, Austin
  Dabney, Nancy Hart, Battle of Kettle Creek, and
  siege of Savannah)