Elijah Clarke overestimated British strength and ambition following Ashe’s defeat at Briar Creek. Both London and the Continental Congress were satisfied to stabilize the military situation in the state, with the remaining Georgia politicians and militiamen able to remain in and around Augusta, and with Savannah and all the rest of Georgia under British control. Lieutenant Colonel Prevost established headquarters at Ebenezer and commanded British troops in the field, while his cautious father served as acting governor of the conquered state during the few months that it took Governor James Wright to travel from London back to Savannah.

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The Georgia militiamen were given intense military training, sent out on frequent patrols, and educated through formal and informal sessions about the British enemy. They learned that the formidable core of the Redcoat armies was a highly trained professional infantry and cavalry, only a few of whom were yet deployed to fight in the interior of Georgia or the Carolinas. The American militia commanders were almost always elected by the troops who served them, and the units were bound together by mutual admiration, trust, and common purpose. They were surprised to learn that British officers were assigned to command even local militia units, comprising Americans who remained loyal to the crown—men who were either recruited for an extended period or who volunteered for relatively brief tours.

Ethan realized that the southern countryside had become almost completely divided, often with brothers enlisted in opposing militia forces and fathers fighting their own sons. There were different degrees of fervor for either cause. Many just wished to be left alone to pursue their own interests, and were swayed by an inclination to get along with the most powerful force—military or economic—in the neighborhood. Like himself, some of his new companions had little interest in political affairs, but had been alienated by atrocities committed against their homes, friends, or families, and had joined the other side for revenge. There was no doubt that any opportunity for neutrality was waning as the war continued in the south, and all militiamen knew of families who were leaving their homesteads and moving to a geographical area where neighbors would share their political commitments.