The Battle of Briar's Creek marked a major defeat for Revolutionary forces in the South during the Revolutionary War (1775-83). After the Battle of Savannah (December 29, 1778), the British sought to expand their control of Georgia and occupied Augusta on January 29, 1779. Though they hoped they could rally a large number of backcountry Loyalists to the king's cause in the area, they had only limited success in recruiting Loyalist units around Augusta. Meanwhile, the Revolutionaries began to amass a large force across the Savannah River in South Carolina. Significantly outnumbered, the British in Augusta withdrew toward Savannah on February 14; Continental general John Ashe, with some soldiers and about 1,500 militia, followed the British, halting his men at Briar's Creek to repair a bridge and make camp. Their location effectively cut the British off from the backcountry and offered what Ashe thought was a good defensive position, with Briar's Creek to the south and west and the Savannah River to the east. Swampland made any advance across Briar's Creek or along the river virtually impossible.

British general Augustine Prevost--on the recommendation of Archibald Campbell, who had commanded the troops in Augusta--decided to strike back at the Revolutionaries. The British were based at Ebenezer, 15 miles south of Briar's Creek. With much fanfare, Prevost sent about 500 men back up the road to within three miles of Ashe's forward positions as a diversion. Simultaneously, he had his younger brother, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Prevost, take a combined force of 900 regulars and Loyalists on a 50-mile circuitous march to the rear of Ashe's men. It remains unclear whether Ashe's patrols detected this movement, but Ashe did little to prepare for an attack from the north.

On the afternoon of March 3, a rider came screaming into the Continental camp declaring that a British column was eight miles away. The British were actually closer than that: Fifteen minutes later, as the revolutionaries scrambled to form lines, Prevost's troops appeared and began to deploy 150 yards from Ashe's men. The Revolutionaries fired a few volleys but remained disorganized, and as they maneuvered for position they opened a gap in their lines. The British charged this weak point with fixed bayonets and effectively swept the militia away. Seventy Georgia Continentals held their ground, only to be totally engulfed and compelled to surrender. Many of the men who fled had to swim across the river for safety.

The battle was a disaster for the Revolutionary cause. Ashe lost between 150 and 200 drowned or killed and more than 220 captured. The British had only five killed and 11 wounded. In addition, the British seized a hoard of abandoned weapons and equipment. Most of the Revolutionaries who ran that day deserted and went to their homes, never to fight again. However, since the Revolutionaries under the overall command of General Benjamin Lincoln continued to build up their numbers on the other side of the Savannah River, the British had to withdraw to Savannah and await reinforcements before they could extend their campaign into South Carolina.

Bibliography:

David K. Wilson, The Southern Strategy: Britain's Conquest of South Carolina and Georgia, 1775-1780 (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2005)

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