Milton County and the City of Milton are named after John Milton, Revolutionary War hero. However, some important details of his fascinating life are unknown.
Four years ago, to try to solve the mystery of John Milton, the Milton Historical Society determined to research the subject. Board Member Mark Amick volunteered to take on the project. He devoted countless hours to research, conducted interviews with descendants and traveled to places where John Milton lived and worked. Jeff Dufresne, president of the Milton Historical Society, notes that “there are 33 places named Milton in the U.S., plus another 14 in the United Kingdom. Mark has done a most thorough job researching this unique individual.”
Amick says “John Milton played such an Important role in shaping our nation and our state, yet there is no known portrait of him, no definitive biography exists and no one knows where he is buried. He is our lost patriot.”
John Milton (circa 1740- 1817) was born in Halifax County North Carolina. Little is known about his early life. In 1776, he was one of the first to enlist in the First Georgia Regiment in the Revolutionary War. Milton was taken prisoner at Fort Howe, Georgia, in February 1777 and spent about six months as a POW in the castle at St Augustine, Florida, until his release. He then returned to the Army.
He served as Aide de Camp to Brig. Genl Francis Marion, known famously as the “Swamp Fox.” Milton fought in the Battle of Black Mingo Creek near Hemingway, South Carolina, in September 1780, where American forces attacked and defeated a contingent of American loyalist militia. John also fought in the Battle of King’s Mountain in North Carolina in October 1780 where American loyalist troops were soundly defeated by American patriots in one of the most hotly contested battles of the war. He retired from the…
Read the full article here
