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788:...you must imagine what my feelings were, to see our three little men of war going on to the attack of these three vessels who have spread terror on our coast, and who were drawn up in order of battle; but the weight of our metal soon damped the courage of these heroes, who soon took to their boats: and, as many as could, abandoned the vessels with everything on board, of which we immediately took possession. What is extraordinary, we have not one man hurt...
694:. Galleys are lightly built craft that are optimized for rowing. They are fragile and at a severe disadvantage against strongly built sailing vessels. However, galleys have a tactical advantage against pure sailing vessels in restricted waters or when there is no wind. Either by happenstance or by brilliant planning, the
698:
combined with the lack of wind to give the
Americans the advantage; with no wind, the British ships were unable to sail forward to board and storm the galleys, and were forced to remain stationary. Consequently, the galleys began by firing a few random shots at the British vessels before anchoring a
721:
carried four-pounder guns that were no match for the heavier ordnance on the galleys, so they began dropping downriver, hoping to find a place to maneuver and possibly catch a breeze. They thought that the channel was deep, and sailed accordingly; however, at around 10 in the morning,
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Elbert received some intelligence regarding the two
British ships; he decided, however, that it was too late in the evening to initiate an attack, and ordered his men to rest for the night.
232:
585:
225:
707:
507:
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Although the battle was comparatively minor, it had a galvanizing effect on the people of
Georgia, for it disabled two ships that had been capturing American
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521:
564:
On April 15 Elbert received word that the Royal Navy had been spotted off the coast, and detailed around 360 men of the
Georgia Continental battalions of
589:
533:
539:
475:
615:. Troops under Colonel Robert Rae and Major Daniel Roberts were the first to land, followed, under Elbert's orders, by Captain George Young and the
864:
Virginia Steele Wood, "The
Georgia Navy's Dramatic Victory of April 19, 1778," The Georgia Historical Quarterly 90, no. 2 (Summer 2006): 165–95,
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632:
484:
249:
735:
527:
678:
Early on the morning of April 19, Elbert took the galleys down the river to attack the
British ships, which were already ranged in their
647:. Elbert ordered Rae to take 100 of his men and march them to the fort, where British prisoners were taken. Some of the men in the
871:
781:
895:
682:. The galleys likely initiated the attack shortly after first light, around 5:30 that morning, beginning their assault on
792:
Fresh from the victory at
Frederica, Elbert went on to lead the disastrous Third Florida Expedition later that year.
467:. The catalyst for the invasion was the discovery, in April of that year, that four British ships were sailing in
878:
920:
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and
Georgia coasts. More importantly, it helped to delay by over eight months a British attempt to capture
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326:
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306:
900:
420:
377:
339:
283:
273:
67:
30:
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777:. At the same time, it demonstrated the effectiveness of heavily armed galleys in confined waters.
659:
to the imminent
American attack. Jordan responded by sending a ship loaded with soldiers to assist
432:
344:
301:
148:
118:
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soon suffered the same fate. As the galleys were drawing nearer, the
British made the decision to
387:
331:
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268:
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321:
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872:
https://archive.today/20070928235309/http://www.marshesofglynnsar.org/Frederica_Incident.htm
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The state of Georgia had twice attempted, without success, to invade the British colony of
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8:
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38:
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428:
549:
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468:
263:
710:
Elbert's letter to General Howe was later published in several Southern newspapers
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153:
71:
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Elbert, for his part, was deeply impressed with the victory, writing to General
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on the island. Officers were chosen to command troops on the galleys. Colonel
889:
762:
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464:
141:
104:
911:
Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving the United States
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217:
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Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving Great Britain
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Georgia Navy vessels capturing the British squadron on Frederica River.
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between 1776 and 1777. All four were under the command of Commodore
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916:
Battles of the American Revolutionary War in Georgia (U.S. state)
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176:
138:
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447:
424:
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572:; from here they were to embark upon three of the galleys,
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16:
Small naval battle during the American Revolutionary War
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which had been landed escaped by boat, taking word to
726:suddenly grounded at a place called "Raccoon Gut".
746:, which was still anchored in the sound. A few of
611:at Pikes Bluff, close to a mile and a half above
887:
738:. Most of the officers and men crowded into the
599:By the middle of the afternoon on April 18, the
109:
489:, were private vessels under contract to the
233:
516:For defense, Elbert had the galleys of the
439:. The action occurred on April 19, 1778.
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699:safe distance away and beginning a heavy
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446:
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463:was launched, to be headed by Colonel
866:https://www.jstor.org/stable/40584908
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842:(brigantine) - Aground and captured
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877:Brochure published by the Georgia
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14:
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879:Sons of the American Revolution
584:. The first was led by Captain
544:, had been underwritten by the
435:raiding party off the coast of
848:(sloop) - Aground and captured
1:
858:
854:(brig) - Aground and captured
442:
896:1778 in Georgia (U.S. state)
756:
619:detachment. They set up the
7:
592:, and the third by Captain
10:
937:
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421:American Revolutionary War
68:St. Simons Island, Georgia
31:American Revolutionary War
874:Account of the engagement
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513:, were Royal Navy ships.
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197:
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49:
36:
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23:
588:, the second by Captain
753:crew were left behind.
742:and rowed downriver to
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452:
413:Frederica naval action
251:Atlantic naval theatre
126:Commanders and leaders
24:Frederica naval action
786:
709:
493:; the other two, the
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212:1 brigantine captured
198:Casualties and losses
82:United States victory
594:John Cutler Braddock
546:Continental Congress
471:. Two of these, the
921:St. Simons, Georgia
548:and constructed in
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518:Georgia State Navy
453:
429:Georgia State Navy
398:2nd Chesapeake Bay
901:Conflicts in 1778
655:to alert Captain
639:, and Lieutenant
590:Archibald Hatcher
520:; four of these,
480:and the watering
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216:
215:
86:
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773:and the town of
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627:was assigned to
603:had entered the
469:St. Simons Sound
393:3rd Delaware Bay
383:2nd Delaware Bay
358:1st Delaware Bay
274:Turtle Gut Inlet
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208:1 sloop captured
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796:Order of battle
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680:order of battle
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605:Frederica River
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445:
423:in which three
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378:2nd Long Island
350:Capture of HMS
332:Capture of USS
312:1st Long Island
289:Capture of USS
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613:Fort Frederica
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57:April 19, 1778
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657:Thomas Jordan
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641:Barnard Patty
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633:George Melvin
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465:Samuel Elbert
462:
461:third attempt
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451:Samuel Elbert
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388:Kedges Strait
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157:Thomas Jordan
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142:Samuel Elbert
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119:Great Britain
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105:United States
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27:
22:
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840:Hinchinbrook
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748:Hinchinbrook
747:
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740:ship's boats
736:abandon ship
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728:Hinchinbrook
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715:Hinchinbrook
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684:Hinchinbrook
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661:Hinchinbrook
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568:to march to
563:
554:Oliver Bowen
540:
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510:Hinchinbrook
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485:
476:
459:. In 1778 a
457:East Florida
454:
417:naval battle
412:
410:
351:
333:
307:Charles Town
296:
290:
269:Block Island
91:Belligerents
43:
29:Part of the
782:Robert Howe
771:Fort Morris
621:field piece
586:John Hardee
431:captured a
419:during the
327:Cape Breton
159:(nominally)
890:Categories
859:References
807:Washington
637:Washington
631:, Captain
625:John White
574:Washington
523:Washington
491:Royal Navy
443:Background
373:Hudson Bay
322:Cape Split
192:brigantine
835:(frigate)
757:Aftermath
701:cannonade
617:artillery
566:Fort Howe
508:HMS
498:HMS
297:Frederica
821:(galley)
815:(galley)
809:(galley)
765:off the
696:ebb tide
609:anchored
601:flotilla
550:Savannah
535:Congress
340:Cape Ann
334:Trumbull
284:Yarmouth
279:Barbados
164:Strength
62:Location
846:Rebecca
833:Galatea
813:Bulloch
775:Sunbury
744:Galatea
724:Rebecca
719:Rebecca
688:Rebecca
665:Rebecca
653:Galatea
645:Bulloch
578:Bulloch
560:Prelude
541:Bulloch
500:Galatea
495:frigate
477:Rebecca
437:Georgia
433:British
427:of the
425:galleys
363:Halifax
291:Hancock
177:frigate
171:galleys
154:Captain
139:Colonel
852:Hatter
751:'s
732:Hatter
692:Hatter
690:, and
674:Battle
580:, and
570:Darien
538:, and
486:Hatter
415:was a
352:Savage
264:Nassau
116:
102:
79:Result
784:that
505:sloop
473:sloop
182:sloop
838:HMS
831:HMS
730:and
717:and
663:and
607:and
503:and
482:brig
411:The
206:none
203:none
187:brig
66:off
54:Date
819:Lee
643:to
635:to
629:Lee
582:Lee
529:Lee
892::
703:.
686:,
667:.
596:.
576:,
556:.
532:,
526:,
190:1
185:1
180:1
175:1
169:3
70:,
868:.
241:e
234:t
227:v
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