The man most responsible for opening up the northwestern part of South Carolina by driving out the Cherokee and the British, during and immediately following the American Revolution War, was General Andrew Pickens. deeply religious but a fierce warrior, he was highly respected for his unflinching bravery under fire by the very enemy he conquered - the Cherokee and the British.
General Pickens proved instrumental in several American campaigns against the British in the Revolutionary War, including battles of Cowpens, Ninety Six, and Kettle Creek.
In fact, he and fellow South Carolina leaders Marion and Sumter have been called the great South Carolina Triumvirate who kept patriotic fires burning on the altar of liberty. They were joined by other fellow Carolina patriots as well, including soldiers who later became Pickens County citizens.
The victory of Generals Morgan and Pickens over British Commander Tarleton at Cowpens in January 17, 1781 following the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, effectively broke the back of the British offensive in the Carolinas and contributed greatly to the surrender of Cornwallis to General George Washington at Yorktown on October 18, 1781.
Likewise, in skirmishes with the Cherokee in the years just prior to, during and after the Revolution, the skillful battle tactics and utter lack of fear on the part of General Pickens, contributed to victory over the Indians when pressures of new settler encroachment erupted into open conflict.
Andrew Pickens was born on September 19, 1739 in Pennsylvania and immigrated with his family as a young man in the mid-1700s to the emerging frontier of upper South Carolina, where they settled eventually in the Long Cane area of Abbeville County. He married Rebecca Fluoride Calhoun, whose family had moved there from Virginia, and they began to rear their family.
During those dangerous years frontier settlements endured attacks from Indians and from Tories and the British as well. Their dwellings were plundered and Mrs. Pickens on many occasions had to abandon their home and secrete herself and children for days while her husband was away fighting. They had six daughters and three sons, one of which would become governor of South Carolina as also did a grandson.
General Pickens and his wife were very devout Presbyterians and were instrumental in building the Old Stone Church "Meeting House" near Clemson. This church was near land General Pickens acquired on the Seneca River containing 575 acres in 1784 which he named "Hopewell." At Hopewell a year later he negotiated the final peace treaty with the Cherokee Indians during several days of meetings under the famous "Treaty Oak" on a high spot above what is now Lake Hartwell. This is today just south of and within earshot of the Clemson Golf Course and Madren Center.
In addition to his military accomplishment, Andrew Pickens honorable served his state in important civil capacities as well. Following the Revolution, he was elected to the House of Representatives from Ninety Six District for the terms 1778-1780, 1781-1784, and 1786-1788. He served as the senator from Pendleton District in 1780-1793.
He was elected to the 3rd Congress of the United States, and served in that capacity from March 4, 1795-March 13, 1795. He was also a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1790.
He represented Pendleton District in the House of Representatives in the years 1798-1800 and 1812-1814. He declined a nomination for Governor of South Carolina.
In late life he built a new home at Tamassee he called "The Red House" on a hilltop overlooking the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Here he lived until August 11, 1817. when, full of years, he died peacefully, sustained by his simple faith and passed into the waiting arms of his savior for eternity. His burial, and that of his beloved wife, Rebecca, was at Old Stone Church, Clemson.
The people of this area, revering the name of Andrew Pickens, for his distinguished service in war and peace, honored his memory when the new district was formed in 1828 by denoting it "Pickens District." When it was divided in 1868, the people of the newly-formed county to the east of the Keowee, continued to honor his memory with our new County being named for him.
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