Editing St. Simons, Georgia (section)

=== American Revolution ===
In 1778 Colonel [[Samuel Elbert]] commanded Georgia's Continental Army and Navy. On April 15, he learned that four British vessels (the naval vessels {{HMS|Galatea|1776|6}} and HMS Hinchinbrook, and the hired vessels ''Rebecca'', and ''Hatter'') from [[East Florida]] were sailing in St. Simons Sound. Elbert commanded about 360 troops from the Georgia Continental Battalions at Fort Howe <!-- not [[Fort Howe]] in Canada--> to march to [[Darien, Georgia]]. There they boarded three Georgia Navy galleys: ''Washington'', commanded by Captain John Hardy<!-- not the Brit [[John Hardy]]-->; ''Lee'', commanded by Captain John Cutler Braddock; and ''Bulloch'', commanded by Captain Archibald Hatcher.

On April 18, they entered Frederica River and anchored about {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} from [[Fort Frederica National Monument|Fort Frederica]]. The next day the galleys attacked the British vessels. The Colonial ships were armed with heavier cannons than the British, and the galleys also had a shallow [[draft (hull)|draft]] and could be rowed. When the wind died down, the British ships had difficulty maneuvering in the restricted waters of the river and sound. Two British ships ran aground, and the crews escaped to their other ships. The battle showed the effectiveness of the galleys in restricted waters over ships designed for the open sea. The victory in the [[Frederica naval action]] boosted the morale of the colonials in Georgia.