He glanced at Cruger, who had something of a smile on his face, and added, “Of course, we can’t always control what the Creeks and Cherokees do to the people who have been trying to take their land.”

Cruger asked, “How many of Clarke’s men have been given parole?”

Brown hesitated and then replied, “Only a handful of them have ever been caught by any British force, so most of them are not parolees. However, I have declared that they are to be treated as convicted traitors to the crown, and each of them is subject to being hanged if caught—and they know it. It would be rare for one to surrender.”

•  •  •

Lord Cornwallis was angered by the attack on Augusta, mounted by some of the same men he had paroled after the siege of Charles Town. Although the rebels were repulsed with heavy losses, they demonstrated vividly that they had not accepted his presumption that the war in the deep south was over. The general now abandoned all restraints in dealing with Georgia and Carolina citizens. In effect, he authorized his field commanders to adopt the policy that he knew Brown was still following, the forced induction of Tory troops. He issued a blanket directive that “every militiaman who has borne arms or been paroled and later joins the enemy shall be immediately hanged.” Also, passive neutrality for parolees was no longer acceptable; they had to cooperate with the Tories.

CHAPTER 46

Four Hundred to the Watauga Valley

SEPTEMBER 1780

Elijah Clarke had reached the low point of his life, with his men having suffered an embarrassing defeat and, for the first time, their enemies perhaps strong and emboldened enough to penetrate their hiding places. He was personally weakened, still suffering from his saber wounds, some of which had become infected once again.

After retreating hastily from Augusta, Clarke and his core militiamen reassembled in a place called Dennis Mill, where they had arranged for their women and children to join them. Although distressed to hear about the recent battle, the family members surrounded Elijah as a savior. He didn’t know what to do with them, knowing that the few remaining revolutionary homesites were certain to be attacked, either by hostile Indians or Tory troops. Cherokees were to the north, Creeks westward across the Oconee, and Brown and his Rangers would be raiding from the south out of Augusta. With total savagery prevailing in northeast Georgia, Brown’s Rangers seeking retribution, and with no possible support available from any Continental troops or other militiamen, Clarke consulted with his key lieutenants about how to deal with their desperate situation, and they decided unanimously to abandon all their property and possessions. Clarke dispatched a few dependable men to visit the settlements whose families were missing, with instructions to have everyone join them immediately, not to reveal their destination, and to bring tents, blankets, and all the food they and their animals could carry.