[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 204 (Thursday, December 3, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H6110-H6111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  KETTLE CREEK BATTLEFIELD SURVEY ACT

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 306) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 
resource study of the site of the Kettle Creek Battlefield in Wilkes 
County, Georgia, and adjacent property, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 306

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. KETTLE CREEK BATTLEFIELD SURVEY.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Kettle 
     Creek Battlefield Survey Act''.
       (b) Reconnaissance Survey.--
       (1) Survey.--The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in 
     this section as the ``Secretary'') shall conduct a 
     reconnaissance survey of the site of the Kettle Creek 
     Battlefield in Wilkes County, Georgia, and adjacent property 
     (referred to in this section as the ``site'').
       (2) Requirements for survey.--In conducting the survey 
     under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall evaluate the 
     likelihood that resources within the site boundary would meet 
     the four criteria for new parklands--
       (A) national significance;
       (B) suitability;
       (C) feasibility; and
       (D) need for National Park Service management.
       (3) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which 
     funds are made available to carry out the survey under 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
     Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a 
     report that describes--
       (A) the results of the survey; and
       (B) any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Hawaii (Mr. Case) and the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-
Colon) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Hawaii.

                              {time}  1815


                             General Leave

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on the measure under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Hawaii?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 306, the Kettle Creek 
Battlefield Survey Act, introduced by our colleague, Representative 
Jody Hice.
  This bill would require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
reconnaissance survey of the Kettle Creek Battlefield in Wilkes County, 
Georgia.
  On February 14, 1779, at the Battle of Kettle Creek, approximately 
350 patriots defeated more than 800 British loyalists in a surprise 
attack. The battle

[[Page H6111]]

marked the only significant victory in Georgia by forces opposed to 
British rule and impacted the course of the American Revolutionary War.
  In 1975, the battlefield was added to the National Register of 
Historic Places to protect the site's historic and archeological 
resources.
  This bill tasks the National Park Service with determining the best 
management options for these historic resources, and I would like to 
thank Representative Hice for his efforts on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support its adoption, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Hice), who is the sponsor of 
this bill.
  Mr. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Speaker and am grateful 
for the bipartisan support for this bill.
  I want to say a special thank you to the ranking member, Mr. Bishop. 
It has been an honor to serve under him, both as the ranking member and 
the chairman of this committee. His leadership will be greatly missed. 
It has been an honor to serve with him and under his leadership, and I 
wish him the best in the years to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I think most Americans are very familiar with great 
military moments in our Nation's past and our history, and all of us 
could name different places where some of those memorable battles 
occurred. But many of the Nation's finest moments took place right here 
in our own backyard, and many people are not even aware of some of 
those battles.
  One of those took place in the other Washington, Washington, Georgia, 
in Wilkes County. As briefly was described, on February 14, 1779, there 
was a sizable force of British loyalists who collided with a small but 
ferocious band of American patriots. They were led by Colonel Andrew 
Pickens in the Kettle Creek area. They were outnumbered 2 to 1, and 
Colonel Pickens and his men suddenly attacked the Tory militia, 
catching them by surprise. It was a bloody battle, a severe battle, a 
brutal fight, but it ended up being one of the greatest victories in 
the southern campaign during the revolutionary time. This battle 
involved only a few hundred men, but the impact is enormous on the 
entire Revolutionary War.
  In fact, Colonel Pickens himself said of the Battle of Kettle Creek: 
``I believe it was the severest check and chastisement the Tories ever 
received in South Carolina or Georgia.''
  This engagement demonstrated conclusively that while the British 
could hold areas and cities like Savannah or Charleston, they could 
never grasp hold of the southern backcountry.
  The courage shown by the outnumbered patriots is nothing shy of 
absolutely legendary, and they are still honored in Georgia today. One 
of those stories that I would like to share today is of an individual 
named Austin Dabney.
  Despite being a slave, Mr. Dabney served with honor and distinction 
in the patriot military until he was shot in the thigh in the Battle of 
Kettle Creek. Though crippled and returned to servitude, Mr. Dabney's 
actions were never forgotten. In fact, after the war, in 1786, an 
official act of the Georgia legislature emancipated Mr. Dabney, and 
they granted him both land and a lifetime pension. This only scratches 
the surface of Mr. Dabney's story. Yet, it is something that we need 
never to forget.
  Kettle Creek was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 
1975, and the 2007 report to Congress by the American Battlefield 
Protection Program of the National Park Service noted the Battle of 
Kettle Creek having demonstrable influence on the course, conduct, and 
results of the Revolutionary War.
  Congress has made significant strides in preserving many of the 
battlefields of the Civil War, but I think, unfortunately, many of the 
battlefields of the Revolutionary War have been forgotten. We need to 
remember those.
  This legislation is critical to not only preserving Kettle Creek, 
which has, by the way, tremendous support in the community and the 
State, but I strongly believe that the stories of both Colonel Pickens 
and the incredible stories of people like Austin Dabney are worth 
saving. They are worth saving for generations to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to Kettle Creek being studied for 
inclusion in the National Park System. I appreciate my colleagues' 
support for this and urge the rest of our colleagues to support this 
piece of history and this legislation.
  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I certainly do appreciate my colleague's very 
emotional description of the rich history of Battle Creek and his 
commitment to its preservation. I join him in that.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, is there any time remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Utah has 15 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Hice for everything that he is doing on this 
particular bill. He left already. He is the one who has the accent. But 
I have to admit, back where I live, this would be called Kettle Crick, 
not Kettle Creek, so if you can make that change.
  But the problem is, obviously, battlefields are disappearing. What 
Mr. Hice has done is try to go about this the proper way, by doing the 
study that sets the parameters of what we need, and with a great deal 
of concern and consideration for the other people who are living in 
that area, for private property in that area, for the other concerns 
that take place in there.
  So, I am proud of this because Mr. Hice is doing it the right way. 
This is the way all of our studies should take place. This is the way 
all of our concerns should take place, and it is appropriate.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the adoption of this 
measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 306, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to direct 
the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a reconnaissance survey of the 
site of the Kettle Creek Battlefield in Wilkes County, Georgia, and 
adjacent property, and for other purposes.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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