Siege of Augusta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Augusta
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Date May 22 – June 6, 1781 Location Augusta, Georgia Result Patriot victory
Belligerents
Loyalist militia	United States
Commanders and leaders
Thomas Brown	Andrew Pickens Henry Lee Elijah Clarke
Strength
630	1,600
Casualties and losses
52 killed 334 captured	16 killed 35 wounded

The Siege of Augusta was an important battle during the American Revolutionary War. It happened between May 22 and June 6, 1781, in Augusta, Georgia. American Patriot forces, led by General Andrew Pickens and Colonel Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, won control of Augusta from British loyalist soldiers.

During the siege, the Americans built a tall wooden tower. They put a small cannon on top of it. This allowed them to fire into Fort Cornwallis, the main British defense. The British soldiers, led by Thomas Brown, surrendered on June 6.

What Led to the Siege?

In 1778, the British army arrived in Georgia. Soon after, in January 1779, a loyalist leader named Thomas Brown took control of Augusta. He led a group of loyalist soldiers called the East Florida Rangers. However, after the British lost the Battle of Kettle Creek in February 1779, Brown and his men left Augusta.

Brown and his loyalist group, now called the King's Carolina Rangers, took Augusta back on June 8, 1780.

Later that year, on September 14, 1780, Patriot forces led by Elijah Clarke launched a surprise attack on Augusta. This attack lasted four days but was not successful. Clarke and his men had to retreat on September 18.

In April 1781, Clarke's soldiers returned to Wilkes County. They were joined by General Andrew Pickens's soldiers and Major General Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee's Continental Army troops. Together, they arrived outside Augusta on May 21, 1781, ready to begin a new attack.

The Siege Begins

On April 16, Patriot soldiers led by Micajah Williamson arrived near Augusta. They set up a strong camp. The main British fort in town, Fort Cornwallis, was defended by Thomas Brown and his King's Carolina Rangers. Brown did not attack Williamson right away because he thought Williamson had more troops than he actually did.

General Andrew Pickens moved 400 of his men between Augusta and Ninety Six, South Carolina. This was to stop British soldiers from Ninety Six from helping Brown. On May 15, Williamson was joined by his commander, Elijah Clarke, and 100 more men. This cut off British supplies to Augusta.

General Nathanael Greene had sent Major Henry Lee to try and capture Ninety Six. But when Lee got close, he learned that Ninety Six was well-defended. So, Greene ordered Lee to help Pickens at Augusta instead. Lee quickly traveled 75 miles (120 km) in three days to reach Augusta.

Capturing Galphin's Post

On May 21, Patriot forces under Clarke and Lee attacked a fortified house. It belonged to George Galphin, who worked with Native Americans. The house was about 12 miles (19 km) south of Augusta.

After a short fight, the British soldiers defending the house surrendered. The Patriots lost one man to the heat and had eight to ten wounded. The British lost three or four men. In total, 126 British soldiers, mostly regular army troops, were captured. The Patriots attacked this post because it held important supplies and military equipment. These supplies were meant for local Native American groups, and the Patriots needed them badly.

Taking Fort Grierson

Fort Grierson was another smaller fort, about half a mile (0.8 km) from Fort Cornwallis. About 80 men defended this fort, led by Colonel Grierson. On May 23, the Patriot forces began to surround Fort Grierson. They wanted to force Grierson's men to leave the fort and try to reach Fort Cornwallis.

Brown knew Grierson was in danger. He led his men out of Fort Cornwallis to help, but when he saw how strong Lee's forces were, he only fired cannons from a distance, which didn't help much.

Grierson, desperate to escape, tried to flee along the riverbank. But his entire group was captured. Sadly, Clarke's men then took revenge for past actions by Brown's loyalists. They refused to spare Grierson or his men, killing them all.

The Fight for Fort Cornwallis

About 300 loyalist soldiers defended Fort Cornwallis. Around 200 African-Americans also helped with the fort's defenses. The fort was very strong, and the Patriots only had one cannon. This made it hard to attack directly.

Lee suggested a clever plan that had worked before at the siege of Fort Watson. They decided to build a tall wooden tower, about 30 feet (9 meters) high, hidden behind a nearby house. While they built it, Brown tried to attack them several times, but Lee's men always fought them off.

By June 1, the tower was tall enough to see over the fort's walls. The Patriots began firing their cannon into the fort. That night, Brown led most of his soldiers out of the fort for a major fight. But he was forced to retreat back behind his defenses again.

Brown then sent one of his men, pretending to be a deserter, to get into the tower. This man planned to set the tower on fire. He even suggested to Lee that he could aim the cannon at the fort's gunpowder storage. He almost succeeded, but Lee became suspicious and had him guarded.

The cannon on top of the tower kept firing into the fort. It knocked guns off their stands and destroyed the soldiers' living areas. The Patriot leaders then started planning a direct attack on the fort. They looked for places to put sharpshooters in the few remaining houses near the fort. On the night of June 3, the last remaining house exploded. Brown had sent soldiers to dig tunnels under the house, expecting it to be used by the Patriots. The explosives went off before anyone could use the building.

On the morning of June 4, Patriot forces got ready to attack. Pickens and Lee sent a message demanding Brown's surrender, but Brown refused. Because it was the King's birthday, the attack was delayed by one day.

The Surrender

On June 5, Brown offered to discuss terms for surrendering. To make sure he didn't suffer the same fate as Grierson, Brown specifically surrendered to a group of Continental Army troops from North Carolina. Many local Patriot soldiers wanted to kill him because of his past cruel actions.

What Happened After

Thomas Brown survived the war. He later moved to Florida and then to the Bahamas.