In September, before a common force could be marshaled in Savannah, the British attacked New York and Lee was ordered back north with all his troops, leaving the colony defenseless except for the Georgia troops and a few from Carolina. Acting independently, McIntosh took his small force southward in September and was able to penetrate as far as the St. Marys River, but all he could do was lay waste to some of the Tories’ crops and then withdraw with a number of casualties, mostly inflicted on the close-ordered troops by stealthy flank attacks from the Florida Rangers.

Thomas Brown was amused by this failure, which created no problems for his operations in the territory south and west of the Altamaha River. He directed his Rangers to incur as much support as possible from the natives, to retain the loyalty of Tory families, and to make it difficult for McIntosh and militia groups to recruit volunteers. It was gratifying to him to learn that the Whig and Continental leaders were well aware of the Florida Rangers and that McIntosh had issued a command that all Whigs, both military and civilian, should obtain as much information as possible about them and, especially, their commander.

CHAPTER 27

The Struggle for Indian Allegiance

With only a few mounted units, McIntosh was limited to isolated patrols along the border areas where most of the loyal Whig families lived. Brown had no desire to confront these troops but was able to monitor their movements, either through intimidated or loyal settlers or with his Indian allies. Each time the Georgia troops completed their patrol and withdrew, the Florida Rangers immediately moved into the abandoned area, and finally established control over south and west Georgia. Brown worked like a man possessed, organizing sporadic raids near Savannah just to harass the Whigs, and having some of his men make forays into north Georgia, even above Augusta and across the river into South Carolina. The Chattahoochee and its tributaries became one of his favorite water routes, providing easy access to every important Indian settlement in the western part of the colony. He also extended his scouting activities into Pensacola and westward along the Mississippi River. His protector and confidant was Governor Tonyn, who shared selected intelligence information with Colonel Prevost. It was well known in Florida that the two leaders were highly competitive, struggling for authority at home and for favor in London. Brown was adroit in capitalizing on this disharmony by giving every credit for the Rangers’ exploits to the governor.