A Place Filled With History, And Key Battles Of The Revolutionary War, That Was Named After Its General Who Later Became President
On February 14, 1779, a group of Georgia patriots struck a blow at British forces that had a decisive effect on the eventual outcome of the American Revolution. A militia of 360 rebels, led by Colonel Andrew Pickens and two local men, James Dooley and Elijah Clarke, defeated a force of some 800 British loyalists at the Battle of Kettle Creek. The fiercely fought battle raged on either bank of the creek for several hours, with the British troops retreating to a nearby hill. A fiery charge led by Clarke carried the day, dispersing the loyalists, killing their commander and securing much needed munitions and horses for the patriot cause.
“The Battle of Kettle Creek plays a key role in American history,” John Singleton, director of the Washington-Wilkes Chamber, tells The Buzz. “The victory here discouraged Georgians from joining the British troops, and helped bring about eventual victory for the Americans.”
The events at Kettle Creek were not without consequences for the patriots involved. “Tories killed John Dooly in front of his family,” says Stephanie Macchia, director of the Washington Historical Museum. “They even killed the 12-year-old son of the local innkeeper in the town square.” Other patriot leaders, including Clarke and Stephen Heard, found their homes burned and their wives and families targeted while they were away at war. Heard’s wife and daughter died of exposure.
The battle took place about 10 miles from Heard’s Fort, a stronghold established on land ceded by the Creek and Cherokee tribes and completed in 1774. In 1780, following the Battle of Kettle Creek, the growing town took the name of Washington. “It was the first incorporated town named for General Washington,” Singleton says. “He wasn’t even president yet.”
The choice of name may have been facilitated by Heard and Clarke, both of whom had served under Washington and become personal friends with the general. It certainly confirmed the British view of the area as “a nest of hornets.” President Jimmy Carter’s fictional work about the Revolutionary War, “The Hornet’s Nest,” takes its title from the patriots of Georgia who fought at Kettle Creek, perhaps including one of Carter’s ancestors.
In 1780, Washington became the county seat of the newly organized Wilkes County, which encompassed a wide swath of the ceded Indian territory along the Savannah River. “Wilkes was named for a British parliamentarian who sympathized with the patriot cause,” Singleton explains. “It was the first county in Georgia, and was eventually divided up into several other counties. That’s why we’re called the mother of counties.”
The new town of Washington expanded rapidly in the years following the American Revolution, growing rich on cotton after Eli Whitney set up the first working cotton gin in Wilkes County in 1793. “Washington has more antebellum homes per capita than anywhere else in the United States,” Singleton claims. “Of course some of those antebellum homes may be log cabins. But they date from before the [Civil] War.”
According to Singleton, the best place to see the development of the region from backcountry outpost to aristocratic Southern enclave is Callaway Plantation. “One family lived there over many generations,” he says. The 3,000 acre plantation includes several homes occupied by the Callaway family, including a rustic log cabin dating from 1785, a 1790 frame farmhouse and a magnificent 1869 red brick mansion fronted by white columns, as well as a schoolhouse, slave cabin and other plantation buildings. Gifted to the town by the Callaway family in the 1980s, the buildings are filled with original antiques and period items.
“You can see the Callaway family’s progress up the King Cotton ladder,” Stephanie Macchia says.
“A lot of people come to Georgia looking for Margaret Mitchell’s Tara,” Singleton says. “The Robert Toombs House is one of those Greek Revival mansions they have in mind.” The home of a Confederate secretary of state, the house has been restored with original furnishings. “Toombs was marked for execution after the war, but escaped through his back door, and spent years in Paris before returning to take a major role in Georgia politics,” Macchia says. “He never took the oath of allegiance. They called him the unreconstructed rebel.”
Washington-Wilkes was the scene of the final cabinet meeting called by Confederate president Jeff Davis, and thus figures in the mystery of the Confederate gold. “Here in Washington, we know where the government gold went,” John Singleton says. “The real question is, what happened to the millions from the Richmond banks, which disappeared in a raid 15 miles north of here? That mystery is still unsolved.”
These stories and many more are explored in the Washington Historical Museum. In addition to rooms furnished with 19th century antiques, Macchia says the 1857 house museum displays an extensive Confederate collection, Creek and Cherokee artifacts, and an impressive number of works by legendary potter Dave the Slave, along with one of a kind items such as Jeff Davis’s writing desk and George Washington’s gravy boat.
Every February, reenactors, including to many members of the original families, gather to recreate the Battle of Kettle Creek, including the charge up 500-ft. War Hill, site of a monument to the patriots. The three-day Revolutionary Days Celebration includes living history demonstrations, a parade, and tours, as well as a ceremony at nearby Elijah Clarke State Park, where Wilkes County heroes Elijah Clarke and John Dooly are buried. The Kettle Creek Battleground Park, recently expanded to 75 acres, is headed for official National Battlefield status soon, John Singleton says.
Although taking the name of the father of our country has worked out well for the town of Washington, not everyone was equally thrilled by the choice, according to Macchia. “John Clark, the son of Elijah Clarke and an early governor of Georgia, used to ride into town and shoot up the life-size sign of the general that stood in front of the Washington Tavern,” she says. “But he always came back and paid for the damage when he sobered up.”
Renee Wright
A graduate of Franconia College in Social Psychology, Renee has worked as Travel Editor for Charlotte Magazine and has written three travel guidebooks for Countryman Press among other writing assignments. She enjoys food and camping.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Wildwood Park, located on Thurmond Lake (also known as Clarks Hill Lake). This 975 acre park offers access to the 72,000-acre lake which is excellent for fishing and boating activities.