After a few days, General Ashe arrived across the river from Augusta with his large North Carolina army, and Colonel Campbell abandoned the town and moved down the river to Hudson’s Ferry to join troops of the main British force. He was surprised to learn that they faced a dangerous situation. The British still held Savannah securely, but General Prevost had sent most of his men back to St. Augustine, and their upriver forces were now almost surrounded by General Lincoln’s troops across the river in South Carolina and Ashe’s army to the north.

Although welcomed to the region by the Georgia militiamen when they met briefly after his forces crossed the Savannah into Augusta, General Ashe quickly made it obvious that he resented any suggestions from Elijah Clarke and John Twiggs about how his troops should be deployed and used. Looking at rudimentary maps, Ashe’s staff decided that an open meadow on high ground north of Briar Creek would offer them every advantage. Enemy troops would have to cross the creek to reach them from the south, the Savannah River provided protection from the east, and there were relatively flat fields and woods to the north and west that would provide access for supplies and give the Americans plenty of room for maneuvering.

When Colonel Clarke sent an offer of assistance, General Ashe replied flatly, “Tell Clarke that I’ll take my position upriver from the British, which will prevent them moving back toward Augusta. I’ve studied the maps and am familiar with the area we’ll be occupying, so I can handle any developments. The militia forces can come in to join me if they wish. I’ll let them know when I decide to move south to take Campbell’s army.”

It was obvious that Ashe and his staff were supremely confident of their ability and wanted to have a direct confrontation with the despised British. His ambition was to equal or exceed what the militiamen had done at Kettle Creek.

In the meantime, Colonel Campbell learned that Thomas Brown was in the area and, without consulting General Prevost, sent for the Ranger commander. They discussed alignment of military forces, and Campbell asked for advice. It had been raining for several hours, and Brown replied, “Colonel, my men and I know this region well. There is a ford near Ashe’s camp that I’m sure is well guarded, but it can’t be used except when the water is low. If this rain sets in, the lower reaches of Briar Creek will be flooding. Give me a chance to assess the situation, and I’ll be back with you tomorrow morning.”

As soon as their meeting was over, Brown sent for Newota.