Never forgetting the example set by Lord Dunmore in Virginia, Thomas Brown encouraged his superiors to call for the release of all Africans who would agree to fight with the Redcoats. In June 1779, General Sir Henry Clinton offered freedom “to every Negroe who shall desert the Rebel Standard,” which aroused anger and despair among all the plantation owners, even those who were supporting the Tory cause. Many of the slaves responded and began moving from the coastal plantations toward Savannah to offer their services as soldiers or just to become dependents. Although some of them would fight heroically, they were ill-equipped to take up arms and, usually crammed into Negro camps without the medical care they had enjoyed on the plantations, were remarkably susceptible to “white folks” diseases. Thomas Jefferson estimated that 90 percent of those who escaped from Virginia owners died of smallpox, syphilis, or typhus fever. Governor Dunmore in Virginia and General Sir William Howe in Boston had realized as early as 1775 that the Europeans were relatively immune to smallpox, and encouraged infected people to leave British posts so they could carry the disease to the more susceptible Americans, who had never been exposed during childhood. In fact, the Americans also used slaves to send smallpox to the enemy, as plantation owners gave freedom to black people with the disease and encouraged them to flee to enemy strongholds carrying blankets and clothing saturated with the virus.

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When William Few assembled Ethan Pratt and other platoon members near Wrightsborough late in June 1779, he gave them some bad news, directly from Savannah. Indian Superintendent John Stuart had died earlier that year, and Governor Wright and leaders in London had decided to appoint Thomas Brown as superintendent of the Creeks, Cherokees, Catawbas, and a few smaller Indian tribes along the Atlantic Coast. There was little doubt among the British or revolutionary leaders that Brown was the most knowledgeable and influential white man among the Indian tribes and had long advocated their recruitment in the king’s service.

The militiamen had intercepted a message, assumed to be authentic, indicating that Brown’s first action in his new position was to orchestrate Creek attacks against Whig settlements, offering cash payment and prizes for scalps. Elijah Clarke immediately announced that they were going to destroy an equal number of Tory homesteads, but in fact the message proved to be fallacious and there was no evidence of a widespread crusade against settlers’ homes or families.

Aaron Hart gave the best assessment: “Most of these folks have tried to stay out of the fight, guessing who will finally win and let them keep their property. British leaders have announced an official policy to treat the undecided settlers well, and Brown is forced to obey orders. The best thing we can do is recruit the ones we can and leave the rest of them alone.”

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