Battle of the Rice Boats
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The Battle of the Rice Boats was a battle of the American Revolution that took place in the Savannah River on the border between the Province of Georgia and the Province of South Carolina. The battle, which pitted colonial militia against the British Navy, took place on March 2 – March 3, 1776. It is sometimes referred to as the battle of Yamacraw Bluff.
In the early days of the American Revolution, Georgia had managed to remain relatively neutral in the conflict. In early 1776, Georgia’s Royal Governor James Wright ordered the provisioning of several British warships anchored in the Savannah River. The militia-sympathizing assembly refused to allow this and drove Wright out of the capital. Wright, along with several dozen loyalists, took shelter on the warships.
Further north, a group of merchant ships carrying rice was attacked by British warships on March 2, 1776 and their cargoes of rice were seized. Georgians reacted quickly. About 600 Georgian militia joined by about 500 Whigs from South Carolina set the ship Inverness ablaze and cut it loose. The fire ship drifted into the British brig Nelly. These two ships drifted downstream, setting three more ships on fire. The British squadron was forced to retire.
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