Elijah Clarke

Elijah Clarke (1742 – December 15, 1799), born in 1742 at Anson County, North Carolina, was a Continental Army officer and hero in the American Revolutionary War. He fought in the southern theater and in the Battle of Kettle Creek.

After the war, Clarke was elected to the Georgia legislature. In 1794 he organized the Trans-Oconee Republic, several settlements in counties of Georgia in traditional Creek territory. From there he attacked Creek villages, but was restrained by Georgia Governor George Mathews.

Representation in other media
Clarke and his actions served as one of the sources for the fictional character of Benjamin Martin in The Patriot, a film released in 2000. He is also a major character in the historical novel "The Hornet's Nest" by Jimmy Carter.