{"id":4420,"date":"2024-10-03T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T04:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiapioneers.com\/?p=4420"},"modified":"2024-09-25T23:32:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T18:02:51","slug":"the-capture-of-savannah-by-the-british","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgiapioneers.com\/?p=4420","title":{"rendered":"The Capture of Savannah by the British"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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On December 29, 1778, the British army attacked Savannah under Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell and held the city until the war’s end on September 3, 1783.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Anthony Wayne’s army was to clear the countryside and keep the British bottled up within the city. At the same time, Georgia and South Carolina militia companies attacked “rush-and-attack,” a method learned from the Indians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When General Wayne entered the city after the surrender, he was appalled at the destructive damage left by British soldiers. Anthony toured the once beautiful city of squares and live-oak trees littered with trash and damaged stately homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wayne’s affairs were nearing bankruptcy, and he hoped to gain large tracts of land left by the Tories in exchange for his services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State of Georgia gave Wayne a 1300-acre rice plantation for his service; however, that acquisition did not relieve his debt. He did not remain in Georgia but went to Erie, Pennsylvania, where he died on December 15, 1796. He was returning to Pennsylvania from a military inspection of Detroit when he became ill and stopped at a small army post in Erie. He died in a chair!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chatham<\/a><\/blockquote>