Stirring Up a Hornet's Nest: - UGA Laboratory of Archaeology ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

� Cary (1806) � Melish (1813) � Barnett (1868) � Bonner (1843, 1847, 1849, 1856) � Callaway (1877) � Campbell (1779a, 1779b) � DeBrahm (1771) � Hinton (1779) � Granade (1901) 8 � Lloyd (1864) � U.S. Bureau of Soils (1915) � U.S. Coast Survey (1865) � U.S. Department of Agriculture (1938, 1942, 1952) � U.S. Geological Survey (1906, 1991) � Wilson (1779, 1780; Davis 1985) � Yonge (1773) The strategy employed in this study for finding historical materials relating to the Battle of Kettle Creek, Georgia that occurred on Feb. 14, 1779, was two-fold. Researcher Daniel Elliott gathered miscellaneous related materials such as maps and documents, while Daniel Battle concentrated on identifying particular individuals that were related to the Loyalists who participated in the Kettle Creek battle. Battle’s research attention particularly focused on a few Loyalist leaders. A limited amount of information was known about these individuals at the beginning of the research endeavor. Earlier books and research footnotes were inadequate in determining the exact identification of two individuals, a Colonel Boyd and a Major Spurgin. Multiple first names were attributed to them such as Colonel James, Thomas, or John Boyd and John or William Spurgeon. Boyd was a name recognized to be of Scottish descent while Spurgeon was likely of Swiss Huguenot origin. Other historians have suggested that Boyd was of Irish or English descent. Due to the nature of available 18 th century documentation, individuals arriving on the frontier of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, often had their names written, copied, and transcribed incorrectly. These errors were then copied and consistently repeated in historical materials cited thereafter by others. It was often noted that common Scottish surnames, such as Moore (the name of the second in command at Kettle Creek), repeatedly used many of the same first names. It was a common practice to pass on the same first name for consecutive generations. Multiple individuals might be found named John, Jonathan, William or James. Seldom do historic records reflect any middle names or initials that could be helpful to track or identify particular individuals more accurately. Even unusual and rare names such as Spurgin, as listed on a South Carolina plat in Craven County, still had a degree of uncertainty. Craven County, South Carolina was created in the colonial period and this political district was not used after the American Revolution. Portions of Craven County later were formed Laurens County (F.A.P. 1854:377-428; Motes and Motes 1994). Historical information lists a William Spurgeon, but could be John William Spurgeon from Anson County, North Carolina. An unspecified Colonel Spurgeon was also mentioned with a young son who was referenced as John. An original South Carolina plat reference of John Spurgin could be considered a more accurate spelling of the name since it is listed as this spelling in a legal document that likely was reviewed by John Spurgin himself. Still this name has been seen in other records as Spurgeon, Spurgain, Spergen, Spergens, and Spurgen. This spelling is likely not the only form. John Spurgin may have been confused historically with William Spurgeon whereas these individuals actually got their records mixed together as one person by historians. A Spurgeon is listed by a newspaper reporter as a casualty in battle in 1779 while a William Spurgeon fled to Canada after the war. Patterns were, therefore, also taken into account such as repetition of names mentioned in a particular geographical area or state and county. Craven County, South Carolina is one location where all the noted individuals, including John Boyd, John Spurgeon and Moore, appear to have been closely associated because of land ownership. South Carolina also lists two of these individuals as outlaws in proclamations put forth by the Patriot governor. Ultimately, we concluded that the Major Spurgin, who rallied the troops at Kettle Creek, was William Albertus Spurgeon, Jr. At the onset of the research, the research team theorized that Colonel Boyd, and his third in command, Spurgin [Spurgeon], were from the North Carolina backcountry. A particular area of interest was the lower Yadkin River area of Anson County, North Carolina. The very few materials written by historians referenced that a Colonel Thomas Boyd or John or James Boyd was likely from this area. Battle searched
for any materials from North Carolina that could contribute to a clear identification of the Tory leader at Kettle Creek. Colonial and early state records of North Carolina were examined as well as several other minor sources. Although similar names were noted in North Carolina, there was no indication that this was our mysterious person—Colonel Boyd. Spurgin (and its variant spellings) was also sought but no real property information was found. William Spurgeon was mentioned as a government official in the North Carolina Moravian Records. William Spurgeon’s property was listed for confiscation by the Patriot government for lending aid to Loyalists in South Carolina. The Boyd name was encountered not only in Anson County but also in several other counties in North Carolina. Records show that some Boyd properties also were in danger of forfeiture due to Loyalist activities throughout the state. No clearer understanding of the North Carolina Spurgeon or Boyd, however, was gained. Multiple first names were encountered that could have been the Loyalist leader Boyd, and it is very possible that the Boyd names encountered were likely related to him. A persistent search through multiple printed materials concerning Loyalists in North Carolina state and county records, and miscellaneous Revolutionary War books, at the D.A.R. Library in Washington, D.C. did not turn up any additional information distinguishing a Boyd or Spurgeon in military format. Land confiscations made by the Continental Government against Loyalists did not specify detailed records about the individuals even though these records may exist. The Society of the Cincinnati Library, also located in Washington, D.C., was searched for records and manuscripts pertaining to these Loyalists. A reference was found for a manuscript document from Wilkes County in the North Carolina Archives about a James Boyd, possibly transcribing as John, and others who were the likely Loyalist leaders of the Battle of Kettle Creek. This primary source, which was previously transcribed by Davis (William Millen’s deposition), was examined at the North Carolina State Archives. This manuscript is a primary source document for Colonel Boyd and the story of the Loyalist recruitment in the backcountry. No additional records were discovered on these Loyalists at these locations in Washington, D.C. A search at the Library of Congress concerning information available from early Wilkes County maps also proved negative. The David Library at Washington Crossing in Pennsylvania was also searched for resources on the Loyalists. Two published works were The Roster of Loyalists at Moores Creek by B.J. Moss and American Migrations 1765-1799 by Peter Wilson Coldham. These books listed several individual Loyalists that had either taken part in the Battle of Kettle Creek or were suspected to have taken part in the battle. It is from this information that a possible connection was formulated between the individuals involved at Kettle Creek and the individuals involved with conflicts in South and North Carolina prior to 1779. These Loyalists had strong connections with the Scotch settlers in western North Carolina and South Carolina. More research concerning these settlers would have to be undertaken in order to identify details about their connections. Nothing at this point indicated that our Loyalist leaders were specifically from either North Carolina or South Carolina. Since records poorly documented the boundaries for South Carolina and North Carolina during the Revolutionary War, it created a challenging task to understand which individuals were associated with a specific geographical area when dealing with the western Carolina regions. This fluidity of movement across borders by settlers in the backcountry of the Carolinas may also have resulted in confusion in researching individual military records. Since at least one connection seemed likely to the Scotch Highlanders at the Moore’s Creek Battle of 1775 in North Carolina, records of the British Army were researched with an emphasis on the Highlander Regiments. A large percentage of the settlers in the backcountry of the Carolinas and Georgia were of either Scotch or German heritage. Battle believed up to this point in the research that, similar to many other Scotch and Carolina Loyalists, Boyd, Spurgeon, and others may have hid out or were confined to their property. It was also considered that these individuals could be part of the Loyalist contingent who had fled the Carolinas to Florida between 1775 and 1778. Germans settlers in colonial America, unlike the Scots, were believed to have viewed the American Revolution as unpopular. As a result, many early military recruits consisted of settlers of Scotch descent. And because Scots had a historical tendency for banding according to clan traditions, large groups of Scots were expected to be recruited by the British. The Scots, however, were viewed suspiciously by the British 9
Page 1 and 2: Stirring Up a Hornet’s Nest: The
Page 3 and 4: BTable of Contents Table of Content
Page 5: Figure 42. Composite Map Showing Ar
Page 8 and 9: BAcknowledgements Thanks to the sta
Page 10 and 11: � Live Oak Library, Bull Street B
Page 12: was short by at least 30 men, in ad
Page 15 and 16: Published sources included: � All
Page 17: � Hays (1946, 1950) � Hill (192
Page 21 and 22: The North Carolina Archives was als
Page 23 and 24: Figure 2. Kettle Creek Battlefield
Page 25 and 26: Fifteen activity loci were defined
Page 27 and 28: BPREVIOUS HISTORICAL RESEARCH BIII.
Page 29 and 30: eceived, that a body of the loyalis
Page 31 and 32: his militia; and finding that he co
Page 33 and 34: Alexander Garden, a Revolutionary W
Page 35 and 36: them. Lossing visited Savannah, Geo
Page 37 and 38: position. Colonel Boyd defended the
Page 39: stand a large tree, Walnut I think,
Page 42 and 43: Mr. William Lake, a newspaper man f
Page 44 and 45: etc. of the war period but there ar
Page 46 and 47: � John Newton--1784 till 1796.
Page 48 and 49: Table 1. Timeline of Significant En
Page 50 and 51: A detachment of North Carolina mili
Page 52 and 53: Table 4. South Carolina and North C
Page 54 and 55: Table 5. Georgia Militiamen Who Fou
Page 56 and 57: Figure 8. General Andrew Pickens (S
Page 58 and 59: BColonel John Dooly Colonel John Do
Page 60 and 61: his family, along with several hund
Page 62 and 63: Figure 9. Portrait of Elijah Clarke
Page 64 and 65: Greene County, Georgia in 1788 (Kni
Page 66 and 67: BCaptain Joseph Collins Joseph Coll
Page 68 and 69:
Table 7. Captain Robert Carr's Comp
Page 70 and 71:
egiment has survived (Davis 1979a).
Page 72 and 73:
ecame Rowan County, North Carolina.
Page 74 and 75:
Creek, fought and Defeated them the
Page 76 and 77:
horses and cows which the Indians h
Page 78 and 79:
BPrivate Micajah Brooks, Sr. Privat
Page 80 and 81:
the rank of colonel at the time of
Page 82 and 83:
BPrivate John McClaskey Private Joh
Page 84 and 85:
of a broken leg. He joined the Sout
Page 86 and 87:
BOTHER PATRIOTS LINKED TO KETTLE CR
Page 88 and 89:
John Finley entered the service of
Page 90 and 91:
Private Henry Mayner Private Henry
Page 92 and 93:
Table 8. Known Loyalists in Battle
Page 94 and 95:
One family of Boyds was living in t
Page 96 and 97:
SPURGEON, WILLIAM. Of North Carolin
Page 98 and 99:
Fort and Boyd’s defeat under a si
Page 100 and 101:
for 200 acres in 1756 and by 1761 h
Page 102 and 103:
North Carolina Regiment. John Marti
Page 104 and 105:
in 1779 and was promoted to a Lieut
Page 106 and 107:
Almost all of the Loyalists who wer
Page 108 and 109:
Figure 82. Portion of Davis' Redraf
Page 110 and 111:
Figure 15. Portion of U.S.G.S. Quad
Page 112 and 113:
Figure 18. 1942 Aerial Photograph S
Page 114 and 115:
Cowan’s Ferry Cowan’s Ferry was
Page 116 and 117:
Dooly’s Fort John Dooly’s Fort
Page 118 and 119:
Knox’s Fort/Cherokee Corner/Gourd
Page 120 and 121:
That he enlisted in the Army of the
Page 122 and 123:
The rock dwelling of Thomas Ansley
Page 124 and 125:
Joseph White, a North Carolinian wi
Page 126 and 127:
The Williamses Rowland Williams was
Page 128 and 129:
Henry Thomas Slaton was unmarried a
Page 130 and 131:
Book G: 98). The land had been prev
Page 132 and 133:
Robert McGinty and his wife, Debora
Page 134 and 135:
ecorded on December 7, 1773 at Wrig
Page 136 and 137:
126
Page 138 and 139:
Figure 29 is a schematic showing th
Page 140 and 141:
Figure 26. Kettle Creek Immediately
Page 142 and 143:
Locus A 132 Figure 30. Kettle Creek
Page 144 and 145:
Locus C Locus C is situated on the
Page 146 and 147:
an animal pen that was maintained b
Page 148 and 149:
systematic shovel testing). The pro
Page 150 and 151:
Figure 33. Selected Arms Group Arti
Page 152 and 153:
Figure 35. Selected Clothing, Perso
Page 154 and 155:
Three main types of refined earthen
Page 156 and 157:
Figure 37. Distribution of Arms Gro
Page 158 and 159:
ullets that struck organic targets
Page 160 and 161:
The concentration of fire of the la
Page 162 and 163:
lead supplies during the war. Fort
Page 164 and 165:
of South Carolina militia, witnesse
Page 166 and 167:
Tobacco Group The survey yielded no
Page 168 and 169:
Figure 40. Distribution of Activiti
Page 170:
BEXECUTIVE SUMMARY BVI. Summary and
Page 173 and 174:
Colonel Dooly and Lieutenant Colone
Page 175 and 176:
might have turned in their favor. O
Page 177 and 178:
corridor should be at least 1,000 f
Page 179 and 180:
Figure 46. Core Area of Kettle Cree
Page 181 and 182:
Babits, L. E. 1998 A Devil of a Whi
Page 183 and 184:
Cary, John 1806 A New Map of Part o
Page 185 and 186:
1994 DeBolt's Dictionary of America
Page 187 and 188:
Garden, Alexander 1822 Anecdotes of
Page 189 and 190:
Hartgrove, W.B. 1916 The Negro Sold
Page 191 and 192:
1857 Nancy Hart [Engraving], in Nan
Page 193 and 194:
2004 Roster of Revolutionary Soldie
Page 195 and 196:
Newman, D.L., and D.N. Ham 1974 Lis
Page 197 and 198:
1986 The New York Loyalists. Univer
Page 199 and 200:
1996 Vanishing Sites of Old Wilkes.
Page 201 and 202:
1910 Monument to Commemorate Battle
Page 203 and 204:
n.d. Unsigned Account of Revolution
Page 205 and 206:
Appendix 1. Artifact Inventory, Ket
Page 207 and 208:
PP# Northing Easting Northing Easti
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211 and 212:
Page 213 and 214:
Page 215 and 216:
Page 217 and 218:
Page 219 and 220:
Appendix II. Kettle Creek Roster. S
Page 221 and 222:
Surname Name Rank Army Regiment/Bat
Page 223 and 224:
Page 225 and 226:
show all

Stirring Up a Hornet's Nest: - UGA Laboratory of Archaeology ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?