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 Samuel Elbert - Savannah, GA Posted by:  Don.Morfe
N 32° 04.554 W 081° 05.406
17S E 491496 N 3548852
US Revolutionary War Brigadier General, Georgia Governor. He commanded a battalion of Continental troops against the British in East Florida in 1777 and captured Fort Frederica at St. Simons Island, Georgia, in May 1778. At the Battle of Briar Creek, South Carolina in 1779, he was captured and taken prisoner.
Waymark Code: WM12N7V
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 06/20/2020
Views: 3
He is buried in Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah GA in Section A-65.
The Georgia Historical Marker next to his grave reads: Gen. Samuel Elbert (1740-1788) Samuel Elbert, who became brigadier general in the Continental Army and governor of Georgia, migrated to this province from South Carolina as an orphan youth during the Colonial period. He prospered in mercantile pursuits and as an Indian trader; became a member of the Commons House of Assembly from Ebenezer, and was captain of a grenadier company prior to the Revolution. A staunch patriot, Elbert served on the Council of Safety and in the first Provincial Congress of Georgia in 1775. He was commissioned (1776) lieut.-colonel of the first Continental regiment raised here. Col. Elbert participated in two Florida expeditions: gallantly commanded the Georgia Line at the fall of Savannah (1778); was captured by the British at Briar Creek (1779) and later took part in the Yorktown campaign. He was promoted to brig. general in the continental Army in 1783. He became Governor of this State, Sheriff of Chatham County and Grand Master of Georgia Masons.
Elbert died Nov. 2, 1788, and was buried at Rae's Hall Plantation near Savannah. In time, the burial place of the Revolutionary hero was forsaken and forgotten. during the early years of the 20th century the grave was desecrated and exposed when earth was removed from the Indian mound on which he and his wife, Elizabeth Rae Elbert, were buried. Following identification by acceptable evidence, the remains of the Revolutionary hero were rescued in 1916 by a committee of the Sons of the Revolution, headed by R.J. Travis. the bones of the patriot were reinterred here in 1924 with full military honors.
Description:
From Find A Grave-US Revolutionary War Brigadier General, Georgia Governor. In 1775, he was a member of the Georgia council on safety and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Grenadier Guard. At the start of the Revolutionary War, he entered the Continental Army and was promoted to Colonel in September 1776. He commanded a battalion of Continental troops against the British in East Florida in 1777 and captured Fort Frederica at St. Simons Island, Georgia, in May 1778. At the Battle of Briar Creek, South Carolina in 1779, he was captured and taken prisoner. After his prisoner exchange he joined the Army under General Washington, took part in the Battle of Yorktown and promoted to Brigadier General in 1783. In 1784, he was elected as a Delegate to the Continental Congress but declined to serve. He was elected Governor of Georgia in 1785 and appointed Major General of the Georgia State Militia in 1886, serving until his death. Elbert County, Georgia, is named in his honor.
Date of birth: 01/01/1740
Date of death: 11/01/1788
Area of notoriety: Military
Marker Type: Tomb (above ground)
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: None
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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