Category «British»

Colonel Isaac Shelby

Over the Mountain Men by Richard Luce.

Colonel Isaac Shelby (1750-1826) was an exceptional leader of patriot militia who, by the end of his life, became one of the country’s most admired men. Born to fight, he grew up in the wilderness where at an early age, stood second in command to his father’s company against the Shawnee. When war with England …

Battle of Earle’s Ford and Fort Prince

Partisan cavalry corps were trained and equipped as British dragoons such as this illustration of the 17th Regiment. Artwork by Graham Turner.

The Battle of Earle’s Ford and Fort Prince, South Carolina, July 15, 1780, [some sources state the 14th while others list the 17th] were both American victories that involved the same belligerents. At Earle’s Ford on the Pacolet River, just south of the North Carolina border, a British force of Provincial Dragoons and South Carolina …

Skirmish at Long Canes and Andrew Picken’s Return to War

Rebel Militia face British regulars.

Long Canes, December 12, 1780, was a major skirmish resulting in a patriot loss. It occurred twenty-eight miles southwest of British held Fort Ninety-Six at Cambridge, South Carolina in the Long Canes Settlement. An after-action raid by British partisan regulars plundered Andrew Pickens home and molested his family. This, plus a month’s confinement at Fort …

Second Siege of Augusta

2nd Siege of Augusta by Dick Westcott

The Second Siege of Augusta, Georgia, May 22 – June 5, 1781, was an American victory. It pitted the same two main antagonists who were present during the First Siege of Augusta, September 14 – 18, 1780; Georgia rebel militia leader Colonel Elijah Clarke, and Georgia loyalist militia leader Colonel Thomas ‘Burnfoot’ Brown. The difference …

Colonel Thomas ‘Burnfoot’ Brown

East Florida Rangers. Photo care of the Ledger File Photo.

Colonel Thomas Brown was a fierce partisan fighter. An able leader, he was always in the thick of battle, deploying his men skillfully and encouraging them to fight on. Passionate to the cause, he would have been at the forefront of America’s Revolutionary heroes, had he been a patriot; but he was not. Brown was …

Colonel Elijah Clarke

Colonel Elijah Clarke

Colonel Elijah Clarke, b. December 10, 1736 (some give 1733 & 1742) – December 15, 1799, was one of the unsung heroes of the American Revolution. Fierce and determined in battle, the Georgian militia leader was always in the thick of the fight, having received multiple wounds throughout the war; two life threatening.  From Florida …

First Siege of Augusta   September 14 – 18, 1780

Native American Creek, allies of British

The First American Siege of Augusta, Georgia (September 14 – 18, 1780) was a partisan militia clash of arms by equal numbers of Georgia and South Carolina against Tory and Native American allies. The siege was called off after a stiff defense by Tory defenders and the sudden expected arrival of a British relief force …

Bloody Ben Tarleton Chases the Swamp Fox

Francis Swamp Fox Marion eludes British forces. Care of Swamp Fox Optics.

From November 7 – 14, 1780, in the lowlands of South Carolina, along the Santee River, a cat and mouse game played out between two wily and deadly opponents; rebel leader Colonel Francis Marion and British dragoon commander Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton. What occurred over the course of that week could have been drafted by …

Battle of Hammond’s Store

Colonel William Washington by Pamela Patrick White

The Battle of Hammond’s Store, American victory, December 30, 1780 (some sources give Nov. 29th), was one of the more brutal and savage encounters of the war. Tory loyalists, mainly from Georgia, were raiding patriot settlements in South Carolina when Continental dragoons with mounted militia, under the commanded of Colonel William Washington, pursued and attacked. …