Elijah Clarke (1742 – December 15, 1799) was an American military officer and Georgia legislator.
Career
Elijah Clarke was born near Tarboro in
Edgecombe County,
Province of North Carolina, the son of John Clarke of
Anson County, North Carolina.
served in the Georgia Militia during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. When the state troops disbanded after the surrender of Savannah, he became a lieutenant colonel in the
Wilkes County Militia. He fought in the
southern theater and served under Col.
Andrew Pickens in the
Battle of Kettle Creek. He was one of three American commanders at the
Battle of Musgrove’s Mill, during which he was wounded.
After the war, Clarke was elected to the Georgia legislature, serving from 1781 - 1790.
In early 1794, he was asked if he'd be interested in leading a French invasion of Spanish
East Florida, but President George Washington persuaded the French government to cancel the project. Instead of invading Florida, Clarke led men from
Wilkes County into Creek lands. In 1794 he organized the
Trans-Oconee Republic, several settlements in traditional Creek territory.
He was forced to withdraw his settlements by Georgia Governor
George Matthews.
[George R. Lamplugh, ''Politics on the Periphery: Factions and Parties in Georgia, 1783-1806'']
Newark, University of Delaware Press, 1986, pp. 64-68, accessed 19 Nov 2010
Death and legacy
Clarke died on December 15, 1799.
Clarke and his actions served as one of the sources for the fictional character of Benjamin Martin in ''
The Patriot'', a film released in 2000. He is also a major character in the historical novel ''
The Hornet's Nest'' by
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
.
Clarke County in Georgia is named after Elijah Clarke.
References
External links
Elijah Clarke, ''
New Georgia Encyclopedia''.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Elijah
1742 births
1799 deaths
People from Wilkes County, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state) militiamen in the American Revolution
Heads of state of former countries
Heads of state of states with limited recognition
People from colonial North Carolina
People from Edgecombe County, North Carolina
Members of the Georgia House of Representatives