Colonel Elijah Clarke of Georgia who signed many land grants

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Georgia Militia Soldiers in the Revolutionary War

During the Revolutionary War, militiamen from various counties in Georgia enlisted. What happened is that as the British launched its Southern Campaign and seized both Charleston and Savannah, additional troops were needed, so they called up the local militia to assume a role of guerrilla-style fighting while the enemy occupied Savannah and attempted to seize other port cities. This included the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Georgia Battalions as well as Capt. Samuel Scott and Co. Some 3,000+ names are listed in these Service Records which are now online and available to members of Georgia Pioneers.

The typical term of service was three months in order that the soldier might return home to plant and harvest his crops. The amount of time accumulated by a soldier determined how much land he was eligible to draw after the war. Thus, when you see 287-1/2 acres on an old deed or in the county tax digest, you will know that he was a veteran of this war. Rejected applications for pensions frequently included militia members. The reason is that the soldier was unable to prove service some forty years after the war. It is also understandable as militia units frequently fought in the backwoods, guerrilla-style to prevent the British from seizing more port cities, such as Augusta while the British occupied Charleston and Savannah. In order to learn more about a particular militia soldier, one should take note of the battalion where he serviced. 1st Georgia Regiment was raised by General Lachlan McIntosh of the Continental Army on November 4, 1775 at Savannah for service in the Continental Army. The regiment saw action in Florida during 1777 and 1778, the Siege of Savannah and the Siege of Charleston. This regiment was captured by the British Army along with the rest of the American Southern Army in Charleston on May 20, 1780. Afterwards, these soldiers were known as the Georgia Battalion and refitted on January 1, 1783; disbanded on November 15, 1783. For those who first enlisted in the Continental Army and were reformed as the 1st Georgia Battalion, search Chatham County Records 2nd Georgia Regiment was organized during the fall and winter of 1776 at Williamsburg, Virginia and consisted of 8 companies which were mostly recruted in Virginia. This group was assigned on December 3, 1777 to the Georgia Brigade, an element of the Southern Department. They were captured on May 12, 1780 at Charleston, South Carolina by the British Army. The place to search for a soldier in this battalion is York County, Virginia 3rd Georgia Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Georgia Line during the Revolutionary War. It was raised in Georgia, but recruited in North Carolina. The regiment fought in the Siege of Savannah and is listed as part of the Georgia Line. Active: 1776 to 1781. Engagements were in Savannah and Charleston. Look for ancestors in North Carolina. Capt. Samuel Scotts Company of Light Dragoons led a company of men who had been recruited from several counties in Georgia; men from Pittsylvania and Halifax Counties were listed in the Company of Capt. Scott in 1777. The place to search for anestors is Halifax County, VA and Pittsylvania County, VA

Service Records of the Georgia Militia during the Revolutionary War

• Foreword
• A-B
• C-D
• E-F-G
• H-I-J
• K-L-M
• N-O-P
• R-S
• T-U-V
• W-Y-Z

Books

• List of 680 Revolutionary Soldiers and Widows in Georgia to 1838
• The Revolutionary Records of the State of Georgia, Volume 1
• Georgia's Roster of the Revolution
• Recollections of a Georgia Loyalist