Fort Tonyn (Nassau County, Florida)
Nassau County · Florida · American Revolutionary War
History & Significance
East Florida Governor Patrick Tonyn commanded a regiment of rangers led by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Brown and several hundred British Army troops under Major General Augustine Prevost. Tonyn deployed the East Florida Rangers along the St. Mary's River, which formed the border between the colony and Georgia.
In June 1778, Continental and Georgia forces initiated an expedition to capture St. Augustine in East Florida to end Loyalist raids in Georgia. General Robert Howe wanted to first capture Fort Tonyn, and with the two leaders at an impasse, ordered forces under his command toward the fort while the Georgia militia under Governor Houstoun's command stayed put.
Brown, alerted to this movement, abandoned and burned the fort, retreating into the swamps toward the Nassau River. Howe occupied the ruins of Fort Tonyn on June 29.
Two days later, Screven's cavalry overcame an ambush but followed Brown's Rangers into a British force at Alligator Creek Bridge, where surrounded by the British, Screven's cavalry barely escaped in their retreat. This engagement proved the final and decisive American attempt to capture British-held East Florida during the war. A fort is believed to have existed at the site as late as the War of 1812.
Key Facts
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Tonyn
- https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/fort-tonyn
- https://www.wnhsfl.org/nassau-county-history.html
- https://hfm.club/history-of-the-east-florida-rangers/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Tonyn