- briercreek03061779@gmail.com
- PO Box 603 , Swainsboro, GA, United States, 30401
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In the spring of 2017, the Georgia Society, Sons of the American Revolution (also known as the GASSAR)
formed a committee to assist the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in a joint effort to build
a memorial and preserve the Brier Creek Battlefield.
After learning that no state funding agency was in place to assist with this effort, the
committee—in conjunction with the GASSAR—raised the necessary funds for a ground-penetrating
radar study to ensure that no unmarked patriot graves would be disturbed in the preservation effort.
Anticipating that state funding would probably be limited for the foreseeable future, the GASSAR requested
that an organization independent of the GASSAR be formed for the purpose of supporting the future needs
of the Brier Creek Battlefield.
In response, the Brier Creek Revolutionary War Battlefield Association was formed by a group of interested citizens
who officially registered with the U.S. Department of the Treasury on March 16, 2019, as a 501 (c)(3).
We currently organize annual events such as reenactments and educational seminars to bring the rich history of Brier Creek Battlefield to life. We also work with local schools to enrich their educational curricula.
For our future, we aim to build a Visitor Center and Museum on the battlefield and a walking trail with informational stands to further educate our community on the historical importance of Brier Creek Battlefield.
The Battle of Brier Creek was fought on March 3, 1779, near the confluence of Brier Creek and the Savannah River in southeastern Georgia.
A Patriot force, commanded by Major General John Ashe consisted principally of Continental Line Troops from both Georgia and North Carolina, as well as a large number of State Militia from North Carolina. They were surprised and defeated by a British force commanded by Lt. Colonel Mark Prevost.
This battle occurred only a few weeks after a resounding American Patriot victory over pro-British Loyalists at Kettle Creek, northwest of Augusta. The losses on the American side at Brier Creek were never fully tallied, as many militiamen retreated all the way back to their homes in North Carolina. Lt. Colonel Prevost claimed that 150 American bodies were found on the battlefield. These 150 patriots were buried in unmarked graves a few days after the battle by a militia unit commanded by Colonel John Dooly (one of the Patriot leaders at Kettle Creek).
In addition, Lt. Colonel Prevost stated that 227 captives were taken, mostly from Colonel Samuel Elbert’s Continental Line regiment. Many of these men did not surrender until they were wounded, ran out of ammunition, or were completely surrounded. Most were imprisoned on prison ships anchored at the eastern end of Cockspur Island, near the mouth of the Savannah River. In addition to the known casualties, an unknown number of Patriots drowned in the swamps adjoining Brier Creek or while trying to swim the Savannah River to safety on the South Carolina side.
Total Patriot casualties could have exceeded 250 men, who were either killed or drowned attempting to escape. The number of Patriots who died on prison ships in the Savannah River is unknown.
Brier Creek is significant in that it represented a major setback for the American side, as it perpetuated the war in the Southern colonies for at least another year or more.
Had General Ashe succeeded in repulsing the British attack at Brier Creek, his army would have been reinforced by a much larger force of American troops under Major General Benjamin Lincoln within a week.
The combined forces of Ashe and Lincoln could have then marched south to Savannah to liberate that city from British control and, potentially, drive the British completely out of Georgia.
