Derden: Battle of Brier Creek little known but important part of American Revolution

Emeritus professor tells Bulloch Historical Society about 1779 battle in what is now Screven County

Dr. John Derden, East Georgia State College professor emeritus of history, talks to the Bulloch County Historical Society about the Battle of Brier Creek, nearest battle of the American Revolution. The battle, in what is now Screven County, did not go well for the Patriots but was a consequential part of the war. (AL HACKLE/staff)

Brier Creek - Historical Society — Dr. John Derden, East Georgia State College professor emeritus of history, talks to the Bulloch County Historical Society about the Battle of Brier Creek, nearest battle of the American Revolution. The battle, in what is now Screven County, did not go well for the Patriots but was a consequential part of the war. (AL HACKLE/staff)

When the smoke cleared in fields and swampy areas near the confluence of Brier Creek and the Savannah River in what is now Screven County, Georgia, on March 3, 1779, as many as 150 fighters for the cause of American independence lay dead and a reported 277 had been wounded or captured. On the “British,” or Loyalist side, five were dead and 11 wounded.

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