Augusta revisited one of its victories in the American Revolution, over the weekend.
In observance of Constitution Day, the Augusta chapter of the Georgia State Society Sons of the American Revolution (GASSAR) partnered with the Aiken Chapter of the South Carolina State Society SAR (SCSSAR) to coordinate a reenactment of the Siege of Augusta, on Saturday afternoon, at the Salvation Army Kroc Center.
“Most history books just refer to it as the ‘Siege of Augusta,’ but actually there were two sieges,” said Sonny Pittman, who is vice president of SCSSAR.
On May 22, 1781, Gen. Andrew Pickens and Col. Henry “Light Horse Harry Lee” stormed against British troops and Loyalists occupying Augusta. The Patriots built a 30-foot tower from which they were able to fire cannons on the stronghold of British forces, Fort Cornwallis. Combat ended with an American victory on June 6, 1781. The British lost 52 men, and another 334 were taken prisoner, while 16 Patriots were killed and 35 wounded.
The “first siege” of Augusta, which ended a draw, was months earlier, in September of 1780, when American Col. Elijah Clarke and Lt. Col. James McCall attacked British forces at McKay’s Trading Post.
The 242nd Anniversary Commemoration of the Second Siege of Augusta comprised of a live depiction of the fight between British and Patriots in Augusta. The reenactment was preceded by a memorial ceremony in the Kroc Center auditorium, in which members of GASSAR, SCSSAR, Daughters of the American Revolution and other local lineage societies gathered for a seminar on the Second Siege by military historian Steven Rausch and the presentation of wreaths.
After the ceremony, participants and onlookers proceeded to the field outside the facility, where munitions were set. Members of the participating societies, which included the Sylvania-based Brier Creek SAR, build their own canons with specially ordered wheels and iron cast barrels.
This year, the local GASSAR and SCSSAR chapters (called the Colonel William Few Chapter and Henry Laurens Chapter, respectively) held its fifth reenactment of the Second Siege of Augusta
“Everybody here has an ancestor who fought in the [Revolutionary] War,” said Lee Herron, vice president of the Brier Creek SAR, who has participated enthusiastically in reenactments for over 20 years.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
