Greetings from Kettle Creek Battlefield

By Retired Col. Irma Hagans Cooper, former member of NPCA’s Pacific Regional Council

MAMMY KATE, Enslaved Patriot of the Revolutionary War

Mammy Kate was a Black woman enslaved by Colonel Stephen Heard of Georgia, a man who would later become governor of the state. Before she was kidnapped, sold, and brought to America in chains, Mammy Kate was the daughter of an African king. Though her life was shaped by enslavement, her actions during the American Revolutionary War revealed extraordinary courage, intelligence, and humanity. For far too long, her story and her patriotism remained invisible.

Mammy Kate is not widely known in either Black history or American history. It was decades after her death that historians and researchers uncovered the critical role she played in the Revolutionary War. Her life challenges narrow narratives about who shaped America’s fight for independence and reminds us that Black women’s leadership has often gone unrecognized despite its impact.

The Rescue at Kettle Creek

During the war, Colonel Stephen Heard was captured by British forces following the Battle of Kettle Creek and imprisoned, facing imminent execution. At that time, Heard legally owned Mammy Kate and her husband, Daddy Jack. Despite their status as enslaved people and the immense personal risk involved, Mammy Kate and Daddy Jack devised and executed a daring plan to save his life.

Using her strength, size, and strategic thinking, Mammy Kate smuggled Colonel Heard out of jail to freedom. According to oral history and later accounts, she declared, “I’ve come to set you free. I’m gonna sneak you out of here as sure as porcupine’s prick beavers.” This act was not reckless; it was strategic, calculated, deliberate, and courageous. Together, Mammy Kate and Daddy Jack risked their own lives to defy the British Army and alter the course of history.

After the War

After the war, Stephen Heard became governor of Georgia in 1781. When he died, Mammy Kate and Daddy Jack were buried on each side of him — a powerful testament to the life-saving role they played and the bond forged through that moment of extraordinary bravery.

Mammy Kate was later recognized as the first Black woman in Georgia honored as a patriot by both the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Her husband, Daddy Jack, received this honor as well. These acknowledgments, though long overdue, affirm that their actions were acts of patriotism equal to those of any celebrated Revolutionary figure.

Values in Action

I had never heard of Mammy Kate or Daddy Jack until recently, but with time, our hidden histories are being revealed. When I reflect on Mammy Kate’s life, I see the Army values that I served under and continue to live by: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. Mammy Kate and Daddy Jack embodied every one of these values and more.

They demonstrated humanity and forgiveness by risking their lives to save a man who enslaved them. They chose to see him not solely as an oppressor, but as a human being whose life was worth saving. This moral courage is as profound as any act on the battlefield.

Historical accounts suggest Mammy Kate and Daddy Jack remained on Colonel Heard’s plantation until their deaths. Whether they were ever formally freed is unclear, making their sacrifice and ethical resolve even more remarkable.

Why Mammy Kate’s Story Matters Today

As an African American woman and a military veteran with 30 years of service in the United States Armed Forces, learning about Mammy Kate, a Revolutionary War patriot, leader, and Black woman who lived Army values regardless of her enslaved status or the race of her enslaver is deeply moving. She was an honorable woman who contributed to her country when it was needed most.

Mammy Kate’s story matters today because it forces us to confront a fuller and more honest understanding of American history; one that includes the courage, leadership, and moral complexity of Black women whose contributions were long ignored.

In an era when patriotism is often narrowly defined, Mammy Kate expands that definition. She was enslaved, denied freedom, denied legal personhood, and yet she acted with extraordinary respect, strategy, and courage at a pivotal moment to save her owner. Her decision to risk her life to save Colonel Stephen Heard was not an act of submission; it was an act of leadership and moral courage carried out under the harshest constraints imaginable.

Mammy Kate’s life also challenges modern audiences to wrestle with uncomfortable truths. She embodied values: loyalty, integrity, selfless service, and personal courage, while living within a system that denied her dignity. Her humanity did not depend on whether the system deserved it. That tension remains deeply relevant today as we continue to debate justice, reconciliation, forgiveness, and what it truly means to live one’s values under oppression.

As a Black woman and a military veteran, I see in Mammy Kate the timeless principles that still guide service members today. She planned strategically, assessed risk, led decisively, and accepted personal danger for the sake of saving another life. These are not accidental traits; they are the hallmarks of leadership. Mammy Kate reminds us that leadership has never belonged to one race, gender, or status; it has always emerged where courage meets conscience.

Finally, Mammy Kate’s story matters because remembrance itself is an act of justice. When we speak her name, teach her story, and honor her legacy, we restore visibility to those written out of America’s history. Black women were not merely present in America; they were active in its story.

To remember Mammy Kate is not simply to look backward. It is to recommit ourselves to truth, equity, Army Values and the recognition of courage wherever it appears. Her story calls us to live our values boldly, especially when doing so comes at a cost.

Sincerely,
Retired Col. Irma Hagans Cooper