The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
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Author: David Paul Hammett
William Hammett was born on 14 Nov 1749 in Stafford Co., Virginia. He died on 23 Aug 1832 in Marion Co., Mississippi. He was the son of Robert Hammett and Sythe Bethel. He married Martha Warner.
Children of William and Martha were: William Bethel -1781, Solomon -1781, James 1786-1878, and Robert Bethel -1824.
Along with brothers and father Robert, this William fought on the side of the Patriots in the Battle of Kettle Creek, Wilkes County, Georgia on 14 Feb 1779. He also fought at Kings Mountain.
The Battle of Kettle Creek, fought on James, John and William Hammett’s land, was one of the most important battles of the Revolutionary War in Georgia. On that morning 600 Loyalists under Col. Boyd encamped atop a hill in the bend in the creek. 340 South Carolina under Andrew Pickens and Georgia militiamen under Col. Elijah Clarke and Col. John Dooly attacked the camp. At the time of the Battle of Kettle Creek, Georgia was almost completely under British control.
Boyd posted guards at the top of the ravine, with a line of skirmishers behind the guards. On the morning of February 14, 1779, foragers were sent to look for food. They found Pickens and his men not far from the picket line. Pickens men trying to capture the pickets by surprise, opened fire. The Loyalist camp responded with reinforcements. With a combined total of 340 men, the Patriots attacked in three columns. Col. Dooly on the right, Pickens in the middle, and Elijah Clarke on the left. Clarke and Dooly were delayed. Pickens continued his advance to the fence at the top of the hill, where Boyd’s men waited and opened fire. Men at the front fell in the first rounds. By all accounts, outnumbered and caught by surprise, the patriots were losing the battle. Boyd then fell, dying from a musket ball. Pickens men rallied and Dooly’s men advanced. Lt. Col Clarke emerged on the other side of the creek and charged with 50 men. The Loyalists fled, soundly defeated. Total losses: Loyalists 40-70 dead, 70 captured, Patriots 9 dead, 23 wounded.
Kettle Creek was important because it was two years before Kings Mountain and Cowpens. The patriot victory prevented a rallying of Tories in the South and opened up the backcountry and encouraged Lord Cornwallis to evacuate Augusta, It was the only major Patriot victory in Georgia. It was one of the best examples of what the American Revolution was all about and why the British lost. The patriots were locals fighting on their home soil and knew the countryside.
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