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Autobiographical Letters Of General
Andrew Pickens Pendleton District 28th Aug. 1811 Dr. Sir, I was born in Pennsylvania, Paxton township, on the 19th Sept. 1739; my father removed with his family when I was very young, to Virginia and settled for a few years West of where Staunton now stands about 8 miles, and in the year 1752 or 3 removed to the Waxhaws [near present-day Lancaster, SC] & was amongst the first settlers of that part of South Carolina MY Father & Mother came from Ireland; my Fathers progenitors emigrated from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes As I was raised on the frontiers of new settlements, & my father dying [in late 1756 or early 1757] when I was young, I had not an opportunity of receiving even a good english education. I lived in the Waxhaws til the peace of 1763. [end of French and Indian War, 1754-1763] During the War with the Cherokees in 1761 & 2 I was young, fond of a gun & an active life and was much out in that war, was intrusted for some time with a small detatchment of men on the frontiers where the Inhabitants had been driven from their newly settled plantations I served as a volunteer in Grants Expedition against the Cherokees in the year 1762 Then I learned something of brittish cruelty which I always abhorred In the year 1764 I removed from the Waxhaws, to the Long-cane settlements, west of Ninety Six 22 miles I was a farmer & had a wife & family of small children at the commencement of our revolutionary war -- -- At that time I had a company of Militia & never was in the regular serviceAt the commencement of the war it was thought advisable by our council of Safety [organized in 1775] to have one or two Regiments raised & officered in the upper part of the Country The candidates for Col of one of the Regiments were Robert Cunningham, [James] Mayson & Moses Kirkland Mayson got the commission, which so exasperated the others that they immediately took the other side of the Question They both being men of influence, but particularly Cunningham, who lived on the East side of Saluda River, & considerable connections in that part of the Country; if Cunningham had been appointed Colonel at that time, we would not have had so violent an opposition to our cause in this country, and I never had a doubt but he would have made the best officer Early in the War I was advanced to a Majority [because of bravery against the Indians in the Cherokee Expedition of 1776] I was of the same Regiment with [Andrew] Williamson, he was Major at the Commencement When the Council of Safety advanced him to Brigadier, I was appointed Colonel of the Regiment early in 1777 & Brigadier immediately after the battle of the Cowpens [January 17, 1781] There was much hard service with the disaffected white people as also with the Indians [on the Tugaloo Rover near Oconee Town and at Tamassee during the years before the fall of Charleston, May 12, 1780], of which I had a full share I served with Genl Lincoln before, & in the battle of Stono [June 20, 1779] had my horse killed under me in covering the retreat which I was ordered to do by the Genl, & brought off some wounded officers I had another horse killed under me in a conflict with the Cherokees The severest conflict I ever had with the disaffected or tories was in Georgia at Kettle Creek in 1779 The plan had been previously laid at New York by the brittish Commander [Sir Henry Clinton] with a Coln Boyd who commanded the tories when Savannah was taken by the Brittish Coln Camble [Lt Col Archibald Campbell] was advanced to Augusta -- [Lt Col Cambell and 3500 men were sent down to Georgia to meet a British expedition marching north from St. Augustine] When this was done Boyd who had returned from New York, was to notify the disaffected on the western frontier into Georgia & join Camble at Augusta Genl Williamson went with the militia, except part of my regiment, to oppose Campbells crossing Savannah River My Regiment was mostly in small detachments on the frontier from Saluda to Savannah River, to guard against the incursions of the Indians Coln Campbell detached [Lt] Coln [John] Hamilton, now Consul in Virginia, with 200 mounted, mostly irregulars, up Savannah River on the Georgia side The Whigs of Wilkes County fled to the Carolina Side of the River & gave me immediate notice I immediately went down with what men I could hastily collect & at the River Colonels [John] Dooley & [Elijah] Clark from Georgia with about 100 men Hamilton appeared the next morning & showed an intention to cross the river; but we had secured all the flats [flatboats or rafts] on the Carolina side I had not men enough to cross & guard the other places which were necessary. We maneuvered opposite each other for two days up & down the River for ten miles On the evening of the second day he disappeared I immediately sent two men to reconnoitre to know whether it was a feint or whether he was gone some distance They returned & informed me that he had taken the road to a small fort about ten miles from the River, where there were some old men with weomen & children I immediately commenced crossing the River & as we had but one flat at the Place & all horsemen, it was nearly break of day before we got all over When we all had gotten over, I had the men paraded, for as Dooley was a full Colonel in Georgia & I in Carolina he then had the Command Clark was then Lieut Coln under Dooley I then spoke to Dooley & told him that unless he gave up the sole command to me I would not proceed further to which he readily consented I then spoke to the men & told them I was determined to pursue the enemy & attack him wherever I found him & that if any wished they might return; but further that I was determined to be obeyed, to which they all heartily agreed. As soon as it was clear light we proceeded with all the rapidity possible & when we came to the fort where they had stayed that night, they had just left it and said they were going to Kerrs Fort [on Broad River in present day Elbert County, GA, opposite the mouth of Long Creek which divides Wilkes and Oglethorpe Counties] which was about twelve miles further I then dispatched two men on good horses who were well acquainted with the country, to get to the fort before them, desire those in the fort to shut their gates and keep them out, for that I would certainly be there in a short time after them They got into the fort, but were so neglectful or stupid as not to mention their business until Hamilton stepped in after them They took to the fort, a smart firing commenced & I had several men wounded We got a few men into a small house near the fort which annoyed them much At length I sent in a flag desiring them to surrender & save the effusion of blood Hamilton refused I then sent desiring him to let the weomen and children come out which he also refused It was an old Stockade fort, full of little old cabbins & very dry As soon as it was dark I intended to set it on fire, & had prepared lightwood for the purpose upon waggon wheels which cold have been easily rolled down the descent of a hill against the gate along a smooth road which led to it Just as it was growing dark I received a particular account of Coln Boyd & his tories, advancing along the frontier of South Carolina, & was expected to reach Savannah River that night to the number of seven hundred men There was not time then to be lost I ordered the wounded men to be taken off, called the principal officers together & communicated to them the intelligence It was immediately agreed to recross Savannah River & try to intercept them if possible We immediately kindled a long line of fire just over the top of a ridge which ran parallel with the fort about 150 yards from it, so that they could see the light of the fires from the fort their horses saddles and bridles were all taken, many were tied to the stockades We got to Savannah River early the next morning, got over that day & ten or twelve miles on the Carolina side; but could get no certain account where Boyd with his party was Early next morning I sent two or three active men with good horses to proceed up the River as fast as possible About the middle of the day one returned, I had then gone 14 miles up the river He informed me that Boyd with upwards of 700 men had crossed the river, above the settlements on rafts Capts [Robert] Anderson [Pickens life long friend and the man for whom Anderson County, SC is named], [William] Baskins, [John] Miller & my brother [Capt Joseph Pickens, who was killed in June, 1781, at the siege of Ninety Six] a captain had crossed Savannah River at the Cherokee Ford, with about 80 men expecting to prevent Boyd from crossing, but as his men had mostly got over before they got up, they attacked him, not knowing what number had crossed, & were defeated He had seen Anderson who had informed him of his defeat We then haulted Capts Baskins & Miller were made prisoners with some men When Capts Anderson & Pickens came in & gave us a full account of the business, numbers who had not turned out at first had joined us, we amounted to about 400 men Officers & men willingly agreed to pursue them, we recrossed the river that evening & sent out spies to discover the rout rout they had taken who returned in the night but could give no satisfactory intelligence As soon as light sent out again & directed them to proceed up broad River, the western branch of Savannah River, till they found their trail, in the mean time I would proceed up that river until I heard from them, knowing that they must cross the river to get to the Brittish at Augusta & as it was then above their rout In the evening my spies met me & had seen their rear crossing broad River 8 or 10 miles higher up & and had taken a stragler prisoner who could give satisfactory information respecting them I immediately crossed the River to the South Side, endeavouring to get between them & Augusta & still keep a few active men ahead to reconnoitre & give intelligence In the dusk of the evening their spies came in sight of ours & exchanged a few shots, but without hurt to either party We lay on our arms that night, as soon as light next morning proceeded & by sun rise came out on their track, we proceeded but a short distance when we came to where they had encamped; we pursued on as fast & with as much caution as possible About 10 oclock we heard their Drums a mile ahead This was the first time they had beaten their Drum or hoisted their colours, since they had crossed Savannah River I then haulted, examined & had our guns fresh picked & primed, & told my men that if any of them had anything to eat, to divide with their comrades I then made arrangements for the attack expecting to come up with them upon their march Coln Dooley had the right division, Lieut Coln Clark the left, with orders when we came up with their rear to press forward on their flanks while I would press forward upon their rear We then moved on each with his division, I went on with the center on their trail with a small advance, with orders when they discovered any of the enemy, not to fire but immediately let me know The enemy had not gone more than two miles from where they had beat their Drum, when they haulted at Kettle Creek to kill some cattle which they found there & cook their breakfast In their front was the Creek, both margins of which were grown thick with cane, in their rear was a cleared field, about Ό of a mile in their rear was a beef killed & a few men butchering it My advance came pretty near before they discovered them, being too eager & not attending to their orders they imprudently fired on them, which gave the alarm Boyd being a man of courage & action, advanced immediately with a party of men through the field to the edge of the woods, & concealing them behind old trees which had fallen down & an old fence The main body was drawn up along the edge of the cane which came in a circular form round our right, I advanced with the center to the top of the hill where Boyd was concealed with his party As I had the men formed in a line advancing on their line, we received a fire from his party, which killed & wounded a few men We were within thirty yards before they fired or we discovered them, as they lay flat on the ground They immediately fled down through the cleared ground to their main body Fortunately for us when Boyd had run about 100 yards, three balls passed through him The action then became general & warm, for about twenty minutes they galled us much out of the cane The divisions on the flanks did not press, as I wished them to cross the creek above & below This was not for want of courage but for want of experience & a knowledge of the necessity of obeying orders They retreated across the creek & formed on a rising ground We pressed through the cane, the action was renewed more obstinately & continued near half an hour As they had the advantage of the ground they contended ostinately; but at length gave way They were about 70 of the enemy killed on the ground & many wounded We took a number of prisoners, nearly all their horses & bridles with a number of good rifles which they had collected in their progress Our loss was inconsiderable, though some brave men fell & some died of their wounds The prisoners which they had were recovered I left a few of the prisoners to bury their dead with a promise that they might return to their families if they would return to me, which they did It was dark before we got from the ground, I brought off all my own wounded & recrossed Savannah River the next morning at Fort Charlotte As soon as I got my wounded taken care of & my men & prisoners refreshed a few days, I went again into Georgia as the men were in high spirits to attack a party of British & tories, which I had intelligence of on brier Creek 35 miles south-west from Augusta We proceeded near to Wrightsborough on Little River, where we got intelligence that there were 7 or 8 hundred Creek Indians encamped on Ogeeche River about 25 miles distant, with a Wm Tate [probably David Taitt, the British commissary to the Creek nation] a brittish agent at their head on their way to join Coln Campbell at Augusta I immediately haulted & sent a few men to reconnoitre their encampment They returned the next day & gave me a true account of their situation I got a small reinforcement, we were then about 500 men, we marched late in the evening & reached their encampment by day light They had got intelligence of us, as the inhabitants were mostly disaffected & gone off in small parties I sent on the different trails, several were overtaken, some killed & one principal chief made prisoner They were completely dispersed & defeated in their designs I believe not a man of them reached Coln Campbell Those that escaped the pursuit returned home The defeat of Coln Boyd with the dispersion of the Indians, with Tate completely disappointed the designs of the British at that time Coln Campbell soon retreated from Augusta & went below Briar Creek There was not a gun fired between him & Williamson, all this time opposite each other at Augusta Here I believe Williamson was corrupted Nothing of Consequence happened in a seperate command further till after the fall of Charleston tho almost constantly on duty I have been thus particular in my account of the affair at Kettle Creek because the circumstances which let to it are not generally known & because I believe it was the severest check & chastisment the tories ever received in South Carolina or Georgia You know the particulars of the battle of the Cowpens That part of the 71st which was there surrendered to me & I believe every officer of that Regiment delivered his sword into my hand I see in a publication, the life of the late Genl Jackson of Georgia, by a Judge Carlton of Savannah, that Major McCarthur of the 71st Regiment delivered his sword to him I think Jackson never told him so Major McCarthur surrendered to me, some distance from the battleground & delivered his sword to me Jackson acted with me at that time as Brigade Major I sent back to Genl Morgan, by Major Jackson, Major McCarthur, with the sword When I met Coln Washington with his cavalry in pursuit of Tarleton, I ordered Jackson who was brave & active, to return as quickly as possible with as many of the mounted militia as he could get We pursued with Coln Washington 22 miles & made prisoners of several in Tarletons rear but could not bring him to action. We did not get back to the battle ground till the next morning & overtook Genl Morgan with the prisoners, in the night at Gilberts Town [near present day Rutherfordton, NC] Next day Genl Morgan ordered me to take charge of the prisoners & take the upper rout, while he with the Infrantry under Coln [John Eager] Howard & Coln Washingtons cavalry took a lower rout, to draw Lord Cornwallis after him We all got safe over the Catawba River & joined again at Sherrals ford [on the Catawba River] after a fatigueing march of four days with the prisoners Most of the other scenes of the war at that time & in that quarter are known to you it would therefore be superfluous to dwell upon them My conduct to the close of our struggle for self government must also be known to you, it would therefore, be an irksome taske for me & afford you no information to add anything upon that head You desire to know the cause of my leaving Genl [Nathaniel] Green [commander of all forces in the South after Gen Horatio Gates disastrous defeat at Camden] before the battle of Guilford [Guilford Court House, NC, March 15, 1781, a disastrous victory for Cornwallis] A few days before the affair at Whitsells Mill [Wetzells Mill, March 6, 1781] Governor Rutledge [governor of South Carolina] had arrived, from the northward, at Genl Greens camp & wished to see me Genl Green wrote to me to come to his camp I went though much against the wish of the militia officers While gone the affair at Whitsells mill happened [Pickens militia was used as a rear guard to permit the Continentals to retreat over Reedy Fork. Many militia lost their lives crossing the river.] The militia who were under my command particularly those from South Carolina & Georgia, with those from Rowan & Mecklinburg Counties [North Carolina] & some regiments west of the mountains, were much displeased with the orders & conduct in that affair They thought they were not treated fairly & were improperly exposed, being ordered to cover the retreat of the regulars When I joined them, which was on the same evening, they told me they were determined to stay no longer I tried to obviate their objections, but found it vain The next day I informed Genl Green of the dissatisfaction which had taken place among the militia, that they were determined to go away, but had promised not to go until they knew whether I would go with them The Genl with Govr Rutledge thought it most advisable that I should return with them The Genl told me at parting I hope to break this fellows leg, meaning Cornwallis, & return to S. Carolina after receiving some general orders I left the army. When I returned to S. Carolina [March 20, 1781] the scenes were awful. When partisan opposition met, quarters were seldom given. You ["Light Horse Harry" Lee] met me at Augusta & have some idea of what I must have undergone from the time we parted in N. Carolina The siege of Augusta, [successfully completed by Pickens and Lee] of Ninety Six, [lost by Gen. Greene] the battle of Eutaw, [technically a draw, but probably won by Gen Green with help from Pickens and Francis Marion] & in other services with the army you know whether I did my duty Till the close of the war, or distresses in the upper country after the British left Ninety Six, [June 29, 1781] are not so well known to you. When they evacuated that place some of the worst tories went to the Cherokees & were almost continually harrassing & murdering the frontier inhabitants & made no distinction of sexes. You knew the scarcity of ammunition which prevailed after being reduced to a few rounds per man. To endeavor to put a stop to those cruel murders of weomen & children which had been long practised both by white people & Indians in their wars with each other, I issued positive orders that no Indian woman, child, or old man or any unfit to bear arms should be put to death on pain of death on the perpetrator, giving at the same time the object I had hoped to obtain by it. My order was readily obeyed & the Indians soon followed the example. In two excursions which I made into the indian country [March and September, 1782] while Genl Green was in the lower part of our State, I took a number of prisoners. The last which I made into the Cherokee country was a little before the British evacuated Charleston [December 14, 1782]. There were a great many desperate whitemen with the Indians who had taken refuge amongst them and encouraged them in their murderous excursions. I took a different rout into their country. I directed Coln Clark of Georgia, to meet me on the frontier of that State at particular time & place. [Elijah Clarke and 100 Georgians met Pickens on Long Creek on Sept 18, 1782] The Indians had notice of our coming by a tory who left us when we began to collect; but not knowing the rout I intended to take, the Indians expected us the same way we had formerly gone & had their spies out on that way. I met Clark at the place appointed. We proceeded with about 500 all mounted & nearly one third with swords. I had not more than five or six rounds of ammunition for each man. It may be thought rash to have gone, with so little ammunition, against a powerful tribe of Indians, aided by a banditti of desperadoes. We went the whole way through the woods unexplored by any of us before. We entirely evaded their spies & completely surprised one of their towns [Long Swamp Village] & made prisoners of more than 50 weomen & children with a few men. We had marched the whole night before, guided by two Indians whom we accidentally met with the day before & made prisoners of. They faithfully performed the task allotted them. After surprising the town & making the prisoners, in the evening I sent out three of the most active Indian men that we had taken, & told them to go & tell their people that I was there, that I did not blame the Indians so much as the whit men that were amongst them who encouraged them or assisted them in the war against us, Not if they would deliver up to me all the white men that were amongst them. I would go no further nor destroy any more of their towns & would release all their prisoners on their delivering to me all the prisoners they had of ours, including the negroes they had taken; that I would remain there two days, that if they refused to comply I would proceed as far as I could & would destroy as many of their towns & as much of their provisions as possible & if they wished to fight they knew where to find me. The next day they sent in a flag, they said they had heard my talk & would comply with my demands as far as in their power; but asked for a few days longer time. I gave them three days longer. On the evening of the last day I had given them, their principal chief, with 8 or 10 warriors came in with six whitemen, tied, who had been very active with them. We remained in their nation till we had collected all the white prisoners that could be got, with a number of negroes. When I had collected a number of their chiefs and warriors, I had matters so settled with them, that the depredations by the Cherokees, on the frontiers of Georgia & South Carolina, ceased from that time. You may think me too particular & lengthy in what I have said on the transactions which I have narrated. I thought it best to give you a particular relation of those matters with which you had not an opportunity of being acquainted I was appointed with Coln [Benjamin] Hawkins & others in 1784 to treat with the Southern Indians & have frequently since been a commissioner of the United States to treat with these tribes I leave it to my Country to say, whether in my public transactions, I have discharged the duties assigned me with honesty & fidelity & whether I have been an humble instrument in the hand of Providence, to its advantage But whatever the public sentiment may be I have a witness within myself that my public life & conduct have been moved & actuated by an ardent zeal for the welfare & happiness of my beloved Country with much respech I am your Most obedient
servt Dear Sir Your favour of the 23d of Septr I have received, in answer to your interrogatories, I was Married in the year 1765, had four children liveing at the commencement of our revolutionary war, one son and three Daughters liveing, I have now three Sons and six Daughters liveing, all have fam except my youngest son, who will be 21 years of age the comeing spring, my two oldest sons have had a classical education, and studied the Law, my youngest son is with a merchant in Charleston, my wife is still liveing. I was a member of the Legislature of this State from the close of the war, till I was elected to congress, and for some years afterwards till I declined serving longer [1782-1794, 1796-1799] served in congress as a member from this state in the years 94 & 95, declined serving again, elected unanimously by the Legislature of this State Major General of the first Division of Militia in this State, my worthy friend General Charles C. Pinckney of the Second Division, in the year 1795 appointed by congress in 1784 a commissioner with Col Benjm Hawkins Genl [Lachlan] Mackintosh [from Georgia] and others, to treat and conclude a peace with the Southern tribes of Indians, viz. Cherokees, Creeks, Chickasaws, and Choctaws, appointed again under the confederation to treat with the cherokees & creeks with others -- not successful in the summer of 92 I accompanied Gov:nor [William] Blount [from North Carolina] to the cumberland country, to meet the chickasaw and chocktaw indians on the subject of the war with the northern tribes, this at the request of the President of the United States in the same year I had the offer of a respectable command in the western army, by the President but declined accepting it appointed by the President in 96 with Col. Hawkins and George Clymore Esqr of Philadelphia to treat with the Creek indians, at colerain on the St. Marys river appointed by the President in 97 with Col. Hawkins and Genl [James] Winchester [from Tennessee] a commissioner to run and mark the Boundaries between the Southern indians and the U. S. agreeable to the then existing treaties, this was a Laborious Service of more than six months in the year 1801, I was appointed by the President with General [James] Wilkinson and Col: Hawkins to treat with the Southern indians, viz cherokees, chichesaws, creeks, and chocktaws, after attending those treaties, I declined excepting any more appointments the cause of General [Thomas] Sumpters not joining General Green before Camden I can not explain to you, he was self important, and not communicative, I had little connection with him during the war, I have no doubt, but when General Green wrote from Deep River that he ordered Sumpter to join the army, with what men he had, before he reached, or in the neighborhood of Camdon, he was, I believe, pressed much, both by Green and Morgan, to join the latter, at Grindals Shoals on the Paceolet river, before the Battle of the Cowpens, he was excusable, in some measure as to himself, he had received a wound in his shoulder not long before, tho he ought to have ordered those who were attached to him or under his orders, none of them were with us but what I thought more inexcusable in him and Marion, was their not harassing Lord Rawdon on his march from Charleston to raise the siege of Ninety Six, they had a number of men in the low country, and knew every defile on the way, and I believe not the least attempt was made by them the night the siege was raised at ninety six, I asked Genrl Green, if he knew the cause of their not harassing the enemy, of their not, joining the army, he was much irritated, and expressed himself, in a manner, I had not heard him before or after When I parted with Genrl Green before the Battle of Gilford [Guilford Court House, March 17, 1781], his orders or instructions were only general, as he had then only a hope of returning, but when the way was opened, and he determined to return, he wrote me to harrass the forrageing parties at ninety six and Augusta, and as much as possible encourage the desponding inhabitants, that they might expect assistance before long I now live about ninety miles west from ninety six, now called cambridge, near the western frontier of South Carolina, on the waters of Tamassee But kind Providence has favoured me with much health after being so much exposed to so much inclement weather, and fatigue I am with Much respect your obedient Servt in Marshals History of the life of Genrl Washington, it is said, that the prisoners, taken at Augusta, when the posts there surrendered, were marched to Ninety Six, and there to pass before the Brittish Garrison, I know not how that untruth could get into an american history, you know that Col: [Thomas] Brown his officers and men, were paroled, and sent down the river, in Boats to Savannah it would be well to State the matter as it raily was, as it stands in that History, it appears to many readers, a want of humanity, or Generosity, in the officers who commanded at the taking of these posts --
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