Battle of Thomas Creek

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Thomas Creek


caption=
partof=American Revolutionary War
date=May 17, 1777
place= near the Nassau River, Florida
result=British victory
combatant1=United States
combatant2=Britain
commander1=John Baker
commander2=Marc Prevost
strength1=100
strength2=?
casualties1=around 24
casualties2=?|

The Battle of Thomas Creek on May 17, 1777 was the final engagement in the second of three disastrous attempts by American forces to invade East Florida during the American Revolution.

As part of the campaign, Colonel John Baker had marched south from Sunbury, Georgia, with a company of some 100 mounted militia; he was to link up with a group of 400 Continental troops, led by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Elbert, at Sawpit Bluff. The latter were being transported by water, also from Sunbury.

Thanks to Tory sympathizers in Georgia, the British were well-informed about Patriot movements, and Baker's camp at Sawpit was raided on the night of May 14-15 by a band of Indians, who took 40 horses when they escaped. These were recovered the next morning; during the ensuing skirmish, one Indian was killed, his body later mutilated by the rebels. Governor Patrick Tonyn's after-action report, posted on June 18, noted that this "greatly exasperated the Savages [sic] ", which would prove to have disastrous consequences for the Americans.

Worried about the delay of Elbert's force, Baker moved west to find a better strategic location to wait. Meanwhile, a British column made up of regulars, Indians, and Tories,had started north from the St. John's River to deal with the invasion; scouts informed them, on the night of May 16-17, that the Americans were camped a short distance away.

A small group of Rangers and Indians, led by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Brown, advanced the next morning to engage the American forces; at the same time, the main body of troops, under the command of Major Marc Prevost, advanced in three columns to surround them. The advance guard sighted the Patriots at around 9 in the morning, and Brown promptly set up an ambush. His men delivered a surprise volley at 50 yards from the front and flank, and the commander turned his column in the direction from which Prevost was expected to appear. The Patriots, already shaken, were quickly overwhelmed by the large numbers of regulars appearing in the underbrush. About half of the Georgians fled at first sight of the enemy; the commander followed soon after, carrying with him a handful of supporters. Some 40 men, including one Captain Ignatius Few, surrendered. Of these, all but 16 (including Captain Few) were put to death by the Indians in revenge for their fallen comrade. It would appear, from British eyewitness accounts, that these were the sole casualties of the battle.

For his part, Elbert reached Florida with his men two days after the battle, landing on the northern end of Amelia Island. Here they were met by 18 survivors of Baker's militia, who detailed the circumstances of their defeat. As a consequence, Elbert decided to abandon his invasion.

What followed the fiasco was a storm of recrimination. The regulars blamed the militia. For his part, General Lachlan MacIntosh placed the fault squarely on Elbert, a man he saw as supremely unqualified for his command.

The battle site remains largely undeveloped today.

References

* Mark M. Boatner III, "Landmarks of the American Revolution" (1992 ed.))