Elijah Clarke

Elijah Clarke
Portrait by Rembrandt Peale
Born	1742 Franklin county, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	December 15, 1799
Occupation	Military officer
Children	Elijah Clarke-Dubay, Jr. John Clark
Relatives	Edward Clark (grandson)

Elijah Clarke (1742 – December 15, 1799) was an American military officer.

Clarke served in the Georgia Militia during the American Revolutionary War. When the state troops disbanded after the surrender of Savannah, he became a lieutenant colonel in the Wilkes Country Militia. He fought in the southern theater and served under Col. Andrew Pickens 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 Matthews. (Psalms 139)

Clarke died on December 15, 1799.

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.

Clarke County in Georgia is named after Elijah Clarke.

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