unbury, established in 1758, was located in St. John’s +ISVKME©W+ISVKME©W     Parish between the Medway and Newport Rivers.     S 6IZSPYXMSREV];EV     6IZSPYXMSREV];EV   Sunbury contained 496 lots and embraced three squares   - King’s, Church and Meeting. Sunbury’s commercial trade  competed with that of Savan- nah, and the Continental Con- gress decided to build a fort 1 for its defense in 1776. Never 2 3 recovering from the burning 4 “Discovering Our Heritage of the town by the British dur- ing the war, many families re- and History” located to the newly opened frontier of . Sunbury 5 suffered major damage by a hurricane in 1824, a yellow fever epidemic and the shift 6 Sunbury, of the Liberty County courthouse to Riceboro. Today, the only remaining trace of the once thriving port is the Sun- bury Cemetery. 7 Map OF Georgia, ort Morris, an irregular star-shaped fort with earthen 8 1778 Fpalisades and four bastions, was located 350 yards south of Sunbury on the . Both the fort and and town were surrounded by earthworks and deep entrench- ments. Built in 1776, the fort held 24 pieces of ordnance and included a two-storied brick barrack. It served as a American Revolution in Georgia base for three unsuccessful expeditions against British East Midway Florida between 1776 and 1778. On January 9, 1779, an 1 Elbert County – Fight at Van(n)’s Creek artillery bombardment hit the powder magazine and de- GPS: N34.162 W82.744 stroyed the nearby officer’s barrack. The British dismantled the fort during their evacuation to Savannah in late 1779. 2 Wilkes County – Battle of Kettle Creek Under the name of Fort Defiance, this bulwark was re-con- GPS: N33.691 W82.886 On November 25, 1778, figured and once again manned against the British during the . Fort Morris is operated by the Georgia 3 Lincoln County – Elijah Clarke & John Dooly: the British demanded Department of Natural Resources and is Georgia’s only Heroes of the Hornet’s Nest Revolutionary Historic Site with earthworks. GPS: N33.856 W82.410 Fort Morris idway Society was organized on August 28, 1754, af- 4 Augusta – Sieges of Augusta and Revolutionary to surrender... Mter the settlers migrated from Dorchester, South Car- Capital of Georgia GPS: N33.476 W81.964 olina. Many lived in Sunbury, but developed plantations to cultivate rice, indigo and other crops in Midway- so called 5 Screven County -- Battle of Brier Creek because it was midway between Savannah and Darien. GPS: N32.811 W81.466 They held strong opinions about independence and took an active part in the politics of Georgia. Destroyed dur- 6 Savannah -- Battles of Savannah, ing the Revolutionary War, the Midway Congregational Royal & Revolutionary Capital of Georgia Church was rebuilt in 1792. Annual services are conducted GPS: N32.076 W81.100 on the last Sunday in April by the Midway Society. Among those buried in the adjacent cemetery are James Screven 7 Liberty County – Sunbury, Fort Morris & Midway and Daniel Stewart, two Patriot Generals of the Revolu- GPS: N31.764 W81.279 tionary War. The Midway Museum, patterned after homes in Sunbury and Riceboro, contains documents, exhibits, 8 St. Simons Island –Frederica Naval Action and furnishings from the Colonial period. GPS: N31.224 W81.393 Annual Celebration of www.grwt.gassar.org “Come and Take It” Georgia Society Sons 3rd Saturday in November • Fort Morris State Historic Site ..to which Lt. Col. John McIntosh Midway, Liberty County, Georgia of the American Revolution GPS: N31.224 W81.393 Design – Ed Fluker, GASSAR defiantly replied: “Come and Take It!” Liberty County - Sunbury, Fort Morris & Midway

ocated on the Georgia coast, Liberty County is one Meanwhile, Patriot Col. John White, commander of Patriot LtCol. Lof the eight original counties created from colo- Continental and Militia troops at Sunbury, decided to make John McIntosh, de- nial parishes on February 5, 1777. a stand against the British with 100 men and two pieces of fiantly replied, “We, Seven were named for British po- artillery at Midway. On November 22, Patriot Gen. James Sir, are fighting the litical figures sympathetic to the Screven joined White with an additional twenty Georgia battles of America cause of American liberty, and militia. They set up an ambush about a mile and a half … as to surrender- Liberty County was named to south of the Midway Meeting House at a location called ing the fort, receive honor the early zeal for inde- Spencer’s Hill. this laconic reply:

pendence of the settlers of Loyalist LtCol. Thomas Brown of the Florida Rangers Come and Take Portion of Campbell's St. John’s Parish. grossly overestimated the size of the Patriot forces, and It!” Fuser, whose 1778 Map of Coastal Georgia In March of 1775, Liberty decided to establish an ambush, coincidently at the same mission was to divert attention from Prevost’s actions, County citizens gathered location chosen by Screven. The Loyalist Rangers heard refused to attack and returned with his flotilla to Brit- in the Congregational Church at Screven and his Patriots approach, and realizing Screven’s ish . Previously unnamed, the fort was then Midway, where they elected Dr. Ly- identity, the Rangers mortally wounded him. He was shot called Fort Morris in honor of Capt. Thomas Morris, a Hall man Hall, a Midway Church member, eleven times and died two days later while a prisoner of Virginian and the garrison’s Commander of Artillery. to represent them in the Continental the British. On December 29, 1778, a three thousand man Congress in Philadelphia, Georgia’s Bringing up British Regulars to reinforce the Rangers, British army led by LtCol. Campbell captured Savan- only representative. They also Prevost’s horse was killed and when he fell, the British fal- nah. Realizing that he could not hold Georgia, Conti- sent several wagonloads of rice tered. The Patriots sensed victory, but Prevost remounted, nental Gen. Robert Howe ordered Patriot Maj. Joseph to feed the Continental troops the British recovered and the Patriots had to retreat to- Lane to evacuate Fort Morris. Unfamiliar with the area, surrounding Boston. A year lat- ward Midway. In an effort to slow Prevost’s advance, White Lane requested a guide to assist in the garrison’s re- er, Lyman Hall and another St. forged an order from Patriot Col. Samuel Elbert for White moval. The citizens of Sunbury persuaded him to stay. John’s Parish resident, Button to retreat where a large body of cavalry would attack Pre- Lane maintained contact with the captains of the Gwinnett signed the Declara- vost from the rear. White also detached Patriot LtCol. John Patriot galleys Bulloch and Washington and the sloop tion of Independence in Phila- McIntosh and 127 Continentals to Sunbury to reinforce the Rebecca, but his designs for an escape by boat came delphia. artillery garrison at the fort. too late. In January of 1779, after failing to comply By 1778, the American Revo- After Prevost found the fictitious Patriot order and fear- with Howe’s order to evacuate the fort, Lane found lution had reached a stalemate, so Gwinnett ing his British force was in danger of being cut off and de- both Fort Morris and Sunbury surrounded by over the British high command initiated a feated, he burned the Midway Meeting House to rebuke 2,000 British Regulars, Loyalists and Indians. On Janu- “Southern Strategy.” Sir Henry Clinton ordered LtCol. the Patriots rebellious actions. Receiving a report that Brit- ary 9, 1779, after a three day siege and a brief heavy Archibald Campbell to invade Savannah, restore Brit- ish Col. Fuser’s force had not arrived at Sunbury where they bombardment, Lane surrendered Fort Morris with ish rule, and set the stage for the British capture of the were supposed to rendezvous, Prevost decided to return to 24 cannons and large quantities of provisions. The other Southern colonies. St. Augustine, taking with him large numbers of cattle, slaves Patriots lost four killed, seven wounded and about As the British strategy formed, British Gen. Au- and horses, thus leaving a devastated Liberty County. 200 captured, and the British lost one killed and four gustin Prevost sent his younger brother, LtCol. Mark Delayed by headwinds, Fuser’s naval force reached wounded. Prevost on a forging expedition against the Liberty Sunbury after Prevost had begun his return march to St. Having seized the fort, British Gen. Prevost re- County settlements of Newport and Midway. He also Augustine. Fuser’s 500 men off-loaded field pieces on named it Fort George in honor of George III, and Sun- directed Col. Lewis Valentine Fuser through the in- Colonel’s Island and moved them to the land side of the bury became a camp for paroled Patriot officers cap- land waterways to capture Sunbury, the second larg- fort, thus occupying Sunbury without firing a shot. Thinking tured during the Battle of Savannah. These included est town in Georgia. On November 19, 1778, Prevost Prevost in command of the area between Midway and the Col. George Walton, one of Georgia’s signers of the crossed the with 750 men and ravaged fort, Fuser demanded the fort’s surrender on November Declaration of Independence, Mordecai Sheftall, Con- the plantations, killing or capturing the male citizens. 25, 1778. tinental Deputy Commissary officer, Capt. Thomas Morris and Maj. Joseph Lane. Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and portion of 1778 Campbell’s Map of Coastal Georgia courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Prepared by Bill Ramsaur of the Marshes of Glynn Chap- Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries. ter, Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution.