Battle of Kettle Creek

The Battle of Kettle Creek, fought here on February 14, 1779, was one of the most important battles of the Revolutionary War in Georgia. At that time, the State was almost completely under British control. Col. Boyd with 600 British sympathizers (Loyalists or Tories) crossed the Savannah River into present day Elbert County en route to the British Army then at Augusta. Patriots Col. Andrew Pickens with 200 S.C. militia and Col. John Dooly and Lt. Col. Elijah Clark with 140 Georgia Militia marched to overtake the Loyalists. On the morning of the 14th, Boyd and his men were camped here at a bend in the then flooded Kettle Creek. Their horses were grazing, sentries were posted, and most of the men were slaughtering cattle or searching for food. The Patriots attempted to attack the Loyalist camp by surprise but failed and a desperate battle raged on both sides of the creek for three hours before the Loyalists finally broke and fled. Col. Boyd and 20 of his men were killed and 22 captured. Pickens and Dooly lost seven killed and 14 or 15 wounded. Pickens later wrote that Kettle Creek "was the severest check and chastisement, the Tories ever received in South Carolina or Georgia."