Elijah Clarke

For the fictional character, see Elijah Clarke (One Life to Live).
Elijah Clarke

Portrait by Rembrandt Peale
Born 1742
Franklin County, South Carolina, U.S.
Died December 15, 1799
Occupation Military officer
Children Elijah Clarke-Dubay, Jr.
John Clark
Relatives Edward Clark (grandson)

Elijah Clarke (1742 – December 15, 1799) was an American military officer.

Career

Clarke served in the Georgia Militia during the American Revolutionary War. When the state troops disbanded after the surrender of Savannah, he became a lieutenant colonel in the Wilkes Country Militia. He fought in the southern theater and served under Col. Andrew Pickens in the Battle of Kettle Creek.

After the war, Clarke was elected to the Georgia legislature. In 1794 he organized the Trans-Oconee Republic, several settlements in counties of Georgia in traditional Creek territory.[1] From there he attacked Creek villages, but was restrained by Georgia Governor George Matthews.[2]

Death and Legacy

Clarke died on December 15, 1799.

Clarke and his actions served as one of the sources for the fictional character of Benjamin Martin in The Patriot, a film released in 2000. He is also a major character in the historical novel The Hornet's Nest by Jimmy Carter.

Clarke County in Georgia is named after Elijah Clarke.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Kokomoor, Kevin (2015). "'Creeks, Federalists, and the Idea of Coexistence in the Early Republic". Journal of Southern History. 81 (4): 829. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  2. ↑ George R. Lamplugh, Politics on the Periphery: Factions and Parties in Georgia, 1783-1806, Newark, University of Delaware Press, 1986, pp. 64-68, accessed 19 Nov 2010
  3. ↑ "Elijah Clarke (1742-1799)". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2016-08-29.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/15/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.