Battle of Thomas Creek The Battle of Thomas Creek , or the Thomas Creek Massacre ( May 17 , 1777 ) , was an ambush of a small force of Georgia militia cavalry by a mixed force of British Army , Loyalist militia , and Indians near the mouth of Thomas Creek in northern East Florida . The encounter was the only major engagement in the second of three failed attempts by American forces to invade East Florida in the early years of the American Revolutionary War . The invasion attempt consisted of a naval flotilla carrying Continental Army troops and a company of militia cavalry traveling overland . The flotilla was delayed in reaching the rendezvous point , and British intelligence had learned of the expedition and located the cavalry . The British established an ambush , which broke up and scattered the cavalry , taking more than 30 prisoners . Indians with the British forces were reported to kill a number of the captives in cold blood afterward , in revenge for the death of one of their own in an earlier skirmish . Colonel Samuel Elbert , the invasion commander , abandoned the expedition when his flotilla was confronted by narrow channels and prepared British defenses . A 1778 expedition against East Florida failed due to leadership disagreements , although there was a skirmish at Alligator Bridge . Background . Following a raiding expedition by Loyalist Thomas Brown in February 1777 against his state , Georgia President Button Gwinnett organized an expedition against the capital of British East Florida , St . Augustine . General Robert Howe , commander of the Continental Army ' s Southern Department , agreed to contribute some Continental forces , and authorized Colonel Samuel Elbert ' s 2nd Georgia Regiment and Brigadier General Lachlan McIntosh to participate . McIntosh and Gwinnett were bitter political enemies , and could not agree on issues of command and strategy . As a consequence , Howe and the Georgia legislature gave command of the operation to Colonel Elbert . ( Another consequence of the disagreement between McIntosh and Gwinnett was a duel they fought on May 16 ; both men were wounded , and Gwinnett died several days later . ) In addition to the 300 Continentals from the 1st and 2nd Georgia Regiment s , the expedition included some militia cavalry led by Colonel John Baker . Sources vary on the exact size of Baker ' s company ; it is reported to be either about 100 or 200 men . The expedition left Sunbury on May 1 . Baker ' s cavalry rode overland while Elbert ' s Continentals sailed via the inland waterway with the expectation of meeting at Sawpit Bluff , near the mouth of the Nassau River in what is now Duval County , Florida . Baker reached Sawpit Bluff on May 12 . The flotilla , under the command of Commodore Oliver Bowen , was delayed by contrary winds , and did not reach Amelia Island until May 18 . Prelude . East Florida Governor Patrick Tonyn was alerted to the Georgia plans in April , and reported that Baker ' s company had crossed the St . Marys River on May 10 . A mixed band of Loyalist rangers and primarily Creek Indians led by Lieutenant Colonel Brown continued to be active on the border between the two provinces after the February raid ; they discovered Baker ' s camp . Brown wanted to capture one of the Georgians for questioning , but Baker ' s patrols were vigilant and the party sent for the purpose was fired on . On the night of May 14 – 15 Brown sent 15 Indians to steal Baker ' s horses . They successfully took some of Baker ' s horses ( sources disagree on the exact number , suggesting either 40 or 100 ) , but were chased down by Baker ' s men . In the ensuing skirmish the horses were recovered ; however , at least one Indian ( a Chiaha ) was killed , and his body was reported by the British to be mutilated by the Georgians . Governor Tonyn ' s report of the action , written on June 18 , noted that this " greatly exasperated the Savages " , which would prove to have disastrous consequences for the Americans . Worried about the delay of Elbert ' s force , and having learned from a local resident that authorities had been alerted to the expedition , Baker moved west to find a better strategic location to wait , and encamped on the banks of Thomas Creek , a tributary of the Nassau River . Meanwhile , Brown ' s Indians and rangers had been reinforced by British regulars under the command of Major Mark Prevost , bringing their total force size to about 200 . Their scouts located the American camp on the night of May 16 – 17 . Battle . Brown ' s Indians and rangers set up an ambush ahead of Baker ' s route , while Prevost ' s regulars advanced in three columns behind Baker . When Baker ' s column reached the ambush around 9 : 00 am , Brown ' s men delivered a surprise volley at from the front and flank . Baker and his men turned to flee , directly into Prevost ' s oncoming regulars . The Patriots , already shaken , were quickly overwhelmed by the large numbers of rangers and Indians appearing in the underbrush . About half of the Georgians fled at first sight of the enemy ; Baker , his horse taken by one of his companions , escaped into the swamps . Casualty reports from the encounter vary . David Russell reports that three Georgians were killed , nine wounded , and 31 captured , and that many of the captured were later killed by vengeful Creeks . Charles Jones reports similar numbers , except that 34 were taken prisoner , a captive count echoed by William Nester . Edward Cashin claims that 40 prisoners were taken , of whom 16 survived Creek vengeance . The National Park Service account of the battle says that eight were killed in the battle , nine wounded , and 31 captured , of whom 15 were later killed . Neither Governor Tonyn nor Lieutenant Colonel Brown reported any casualties on their side . Aftermath . Elbert reached East Florida with his men two days after the battle , landing on the northern end of Amelia Island . Unbeknownst to Elbert , Governor Tonyn had sent a small fleet to oppose his at the St . Marys River , but winds drove them out to sea where one ship got involved in battle with a privateer , and Elbert was able to reach Amelia Island without serious incident . He was met on May 19 by 13 of Baker ' s men , who reported the action . Three men who escaped captivity arrived two days later , reporting that five of their compatriots had been slain in cold blood by their Indian guards . Given this news , the threat of Tonyn ' s small fleet , and the fact that his boats were unable to negotiate the narrow channel between Amelia Island and the mainland , Elbert decided to abandon his invasion , and sailed for Savannah on May 26 . Brigadier General Augustine Prevost , the military commander at St . Augustine ( and Mark Prevost ' s older brother ) , gave full credit to the regulars for the action . He criticized Brown ' s rangers and Indians for failing to chase down the remaining Patriots , and refused to pay for the expedition , writing that " the Indians had their plunder , the rangers the cattle , the Soldiers nothing but the trouble . " Brown and his men resumed raiding activities into Georgia , which led to renewed calls in Patriot circles for action . The effectiveness of Brown ' s raiding also prompted Governor Tonyn to lobby General William Howe for an expedition to regain British control of Georgia . In 1778 American General Robert Howe and then - president of Georgia John Houstoun planned another expedition against East Florida . This one was also hampered by command issues , and the few troops that made it to Florida were turned back at the Battle of Alligator Bridge . Savannah was captured by British forces sent from New York in December 1778 , which were joined shortly after by troops from St . Augustine , reestablishing royal authority in Georgia . The battle site is now located in Jacksonville ' s Thomas Creek Preserve , and is part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve . The site itself is undeveloped ; there is a highway marker on nearby U . S . Route 1 commemorating the battle .