Maroons of the Savannah River During the Revolutionary War

Maroons of the Savannah River During the Revolutionary War. SC 250 Anniversary American Revolution. , "Maroons" is the terminology often applied to enslaved African Americans who escaped their enslavement and lived in remote or isolated regions on the edge of settlements from Pennsylvania to Georgia. The remote forests and isolated islands of the Savannah River were home to many maroon communities starting in the early 18th century. One such group of maroons lived on Abercorn Island between the town of Purrysburg and the town of Ebenezer (on the Georgia side). Newspaper accounts, prior to the Revolutionary War suggest that most of the escaped enslaved persons were males. However, during the Revolutionary War, historical records indicates the presence of escaped women and children. It is likely that many of these maroons aided British forces that were based in Savannah during the war years. An ultimate destination maroons was Florida, which had long been viewed as a haven for runaways, as they were promised freedom upon their arrival there. To help sustain their communities, some maroons regularly raided local plantations and supply lines in and around the Town of Purrysburg. South Carolina and Georgia's effort to suppress these maroon communities is detailed in many post-Revolutionary War documents and newspapers., Further Recommended Reading: , "Making a Slave State: Political Development in Early South Carolina" (2018) , "Maroon Communities in South Carolina A Documentary Record" edit by Timothy James Lockley (2009) , "Between the Lines Banditti of the American Revolution" by Harry M. Ward (2002) , "The Story of the American Maroons Slavery's Exiles" by Sylvaine A. Diouf (2015) , For children - "Freewater: A Tale Rooted in Maroon History" by Amina Luqman-Dawson (2022)