Kettle Creek Valentine

Описание: “Kettle Creek Valentine” is a historical battlefield ballad recounting the events of February 14, 1779 — the day the Battle of Kettle Creek was fought in Georgia’s backcountry during the American Revolution.

Rather than framing the date through romance, the song contrasts Valentine’s Day with the stark reality of frontier warfare. It tells the story from the ground level — militia boots in frost, creek fog at dawn, and the sudden eruption of violence as Patriot forces struck a Loyalist encampment along Kettle Creek in Wilkes County.

Led by frontier commanders Andrew Pickens, John Dooly, and Elijah Clarke, roughly 340 Patriot militiamen launched a surprise assault on a larger Loyalist force bound for Augusta to join British operations in the South.

Though small in scale, the clash carried outsized weight. Coming shortly after the British capture of Savannah, the Patriot victory delivered a critical morale boost and disrupted Loyalist recruitment efforts across Georgia’s frontier — proving that Crown support in the Southern backcountry was far from secure.

Musically, the song leans into Appalachian Americana storytelling traditions — plainspoken narration, atmospheric instrumentation, and a solemn battlefield tone — preserving the memory of a lesser-known fight that helped bend the trajectory of the Southern campaign.