A Rare Southern Victory

On Feb. 14, 1779, 340 American troops under Col. Andrew Pickens defeated a force of Loyalist soldiers about twice their number in a rare Southern victory at Kettle Creek in Georgia. This small battle was won largely because the pro-British (Loyalist) commander, Col. James Boyd, fell wounded during the fight and his men fell into a disorganized retreat. American forces then moved forwarded and partially surrounded them. About 70 Loyalist troops died and 70 were captured; American losses were much lighter. Col. Boyd died shortly after the battle.

This minor battle demonstrates that many in the American colonies, especially in the South, were not sympathetic to the Revolution, and many units of Loyalist (pro-British American) militia formed. It’s also a window into the chaotic conditions in the South late in the war; the British could not keep control over the backwoods in the South, but the Americans only rarely bested them in battles and skirmishes in this period.

The tide would turn in Virginia late in the war.