Elijah Clarke (1742 – December 15, 1799) was an American military officer and Georgia legislator.
Elijah Clarke | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Rembrandt Peale | |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives | |
| In office 1781 - 1790 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1742 Edgecombe County, Province of North Carolina |
| Died | December 15, 1799 |
| Children | Elijah Clarke-Dubay Jr. John Clark (governor) |
| Parent | John Clarke |
| Relatives | Edward Clark (grandson) |
| Occupation | Military officer |
Career
editElijah Clarke was born near Tarboro in Edgecombe County, Province of North Carolina, the son of John Clarke of Anson County, North Carolina.[1][2] 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 County Militia. He fought in the southern theater and served under Col. Andrew Pickens in the Battle of Kettle Creek. He was one of three American commanders at the Battle of Musgrove’s Mill, during which he was wounded.[3]
After the war, Clarke was elected to the Georgia legislature, serving from 1781 - 1790.[3] In early 1794, he was recruited to lead a French invasion of Spanish East floride asked if he'd be interested in leading a French invasion of Spanish East Florida, but President George Washington persuaded the French government to cancel the project.[4] Instead of invading Florida, Clarke led men from Wilkes County into Creek lands. In 1794 he organized the Trans-Oconee Republic, several settlements in traditional Creek territory.[5] He was forced to withdraw his settlements by Georgia Governor George Matthews.[6]
Death and legacy
editClarke 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.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Elijah Clarke (1742-1799)". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ Farnham, Thomas J. "Elijah Clarke". NCPedia. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ^ a b "Elijah Clarke". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ^ Crompton, S. Clarke, Elijah (1742?–15 January 1799), Georgia patriot. American National Biography. Retrieved 10 Mar. 2022, from https://www-anb-org.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0200068.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
External links
edit- Elijah Clarke Archived 2012-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- [Letter] 1783 Nov. 6, Augusta [to] Governor [of Georgia] Lyman Hall / Elijah Clarke
- [Letter] 1788 Oct. 23, Washington, [Wilkes County, Georgia to the] Governor [of Georgia] / Elijah Clarke
- [Letter] 1788 Nov. 26 [to] Geo[rge] Handley / Elijah Clark[e].
- [Letter] 1789 June 24, Hickory Grove [to] Col[onel] Benj[ami]n Cleavland, Franklin County, [Georgia] / Elijah Clarke.
- Letter, 1792 Dec. 4, Augusta, [Georgia to] Governor Edward Telfair / Elijah Clarke.