General Samuel Elbert

Near this spot on March 3rd, 1779, General Samuel Elbert, then Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free and Accepted Masons, commanded 60 Continentals and 150 Georgia Militia in one of the most gallant stands against overwhelming odds of the Revolutionary War. After General Ashe's main army had been routed, the left wing under General Elbert was folded back against Brier Creek. With his back to the creek and surrounded on all other sides, he attempted to turn the fortune of the battle by fighting his way through the British lines. Only after British reserves came up, and all hope of escape or victory had vanished, did General Elbert surrender the remnants of his courageous command. Of the 150 Americans killed in the entire battle, more than half were General Elbert's men. It is said that when General Elbert was about to be killed, he was recognized as a Mason by a British officer who spared his life. In 1785 Past Grand Master Samuel Elbert was elected Governor of Georgia.

Georgia · United States