Revolutionary War History in Liberty County, Georgia



Fort Morris State Historic Site

Liberty County, just south of Savannah, is one of the best places in the nation to explore the history of the American Revolution.

I've just added a number of new pages about Liberty County to my main site at www.exploresouthernhistory.com.  Here is some of what you can find there:

Fort Morris State Historic Site - Located at old Sunbury east of Midway, Fort Morris was built during the American Revolution to protect the town that once was the second busiest seaport on the southern part of the U.S. Atlantic coast. 

The fort was besieged by the British in November 1778 and became a landmark of American history when its commander, Col. John McIntosh, responded to a demand for surrender with defiant words, "Come and take it."

The British commander, Lt. Col. L.V. Fuser, didn't have the nerve and instead retreated.

Learn more about Fort Morris at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortmorris.

Sunbury Cemetery in Liberty County, Georgia

Ghost Town of Sunbury - Just a few hundred yards from Fort Morris State Historic Site, Sunbury was an important Georgia seaport of the colonial era. At one point it rivaled nearby Savannah.

The town was the scene of battles and skirmishes throughout the Revolutionary War and it was the British occupation of Sunbury that started the community on its long road to disappearance. So many people fled that by the end of the war, Sunbury was a mere shell of its former self.

Today, besides the earthworks at Fort Morris, all that remains are a few old roads and the historic Sunbury Cemetery.

Learn more about Sunbury at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/sunbury1.

Midway Congregational Church - Founded in 1752 by Congregationalists who moved down from Dorchester, South Carolina, Midway Congregational Church was often called the Midway (or "Medway") Meeting House during the American Revolution.

A community meeting at the church in 1775 resulted in the election of Lyman Hall as one of Georgia's representatives to the Second Continental Congress. He went on to become one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Fighting took place 1.5 miles south of the church in 1778 when outnumbered Patriot forces tried to fight oncoming British troops at the Battle of Midway Church. Col. James Screven was mortally wounded in that battle and is buried at Midway Cemetery.

The British burned the original church building after the battle, but it was rebuilt in 1792 when the current structure was completed.

Learn more about Midway at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/midway.