Andrew Pickens, Patriot Commander-- Part 2: At the Battle of Cowpens and U.S. Representative

In the spring of 1778, Andrew Pickens became the colonel of a regiment of South Carolina militia which he later led to victory at the Battle of Kettle Creek.  In 1780, he became a prisoner when the British captured Charleston and he accepted a parole, agreeing to sit out the war.

Later that year, he returned to the war when Loyalists burned his home.

On January 17, 1781, he commanded a brigade of South Carolina militia at the Battle of Cowpens, a decisive victory for the Patriots.  After the battle, he was promoted to rank of brigadier general.  He was later wounded at the Battle of Eutaw Springs in September.

In 1782, he was elected to  the South Carolina General Assembly in 1782 and went on to serve with them for a decade.

He purchased land on the Seneca River  and constructed Hopewell Plantation, which would become a frequent site of negotiations with Native Americans.

From 1783 to 1795, Pickens represented South Carolina in the United States House of Representatives.  On August 17, 1817, he passed away at the age of 77, several months after his son Andrew Pickens Jr. was sworn in as the Governor of South Carolina.  He is buried near Pendleton, South Carolina.

--Cooter

Andrew Pickens, Patriot Commander at Battle of Kettle Creek-- Part 1

 From American Battlefield Trust.

(September 13, 1739 to August 11, 1817)

The son of Scots-Irish immigrants, Andrew Pickens was born September 13, 1739, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  When he was a teenager,  his family moved to the Waxhaws region of South Carolina.

From 1760-61, Pickens fought in the Cherokee War, serving as an officer in a provincial regiment.  In 1764, he moved to Abbeville, South Carolina, where, a year later, he married  Rebecca Calhoun, the aunt of future pro-slavery politician John C. Calhoun.

When rebellion against Britain broke out in 1775, Pickens was made a captain of militia.  That autumn he took part in a campaign against Loyalists in the South Carolina backcountry and fought in the Siege of Ninety Six, the first major engagement of the revolution outside of New England.

In  the autumn 1776, Pickens served in an expedition that destroyed dozens of Cherokee towns.

--Cooter

Tories vs. Patriots, the Battle of Kettle Creek-- Part 2: A Complete British Rout

Col. Boyd's small Tory detachment fought bravely, but were outflanked and driven back.  Before he could reach the rest of his troops, Boyd was hot several times and fell mortally wounded.

As Pickens' Patriots attacked the Tory center, his flanking forces under John Dooly and Elijah Clarke emerged from swampy ground on the left and right to join  the assault on the main Tory line.  Command of John Boyd's regiment now passed on to Major  William Augustus Spurgeon, Jr.

Eventually, despite outnumbering the Patriots  roughly two-to-one and commanding higher ground, the Tories began giving ground.  They began a complete rout retreat, abandoning horses and supplies and fleeing across the creek.

By the time the fighting had ceased, Col. Boyd's Tory regiment was no more.

From beginning to end, the engagement had lasted about four hours  Of the 700 Tories engaged, casualties were roughly 200.  On the Patriot side, Pickens' force had lost about 32 men killed and wounded.  In addition, about 33 Patriots being held captive by Boyd's were freed when their captors scattered.

--Cooter

It's Tories vs. Patriots in Georgia: The Battle of Kettle Creek-- Part 1

From American Battlefield Trust.

In February 1779, Colonel John Boyd set out with a newly-raised regiment of Tory troops (Loyalist to the Crown) with a goal of uniting with British General Archibald Campbell force, which had  captured Augusta, Georgia, 

During their march south, however, his force had 100 casualties inflicted upon them by pursuing Patriots.

After crossing the Savannah River, Boyd ordered his men to rest and make camp on the north side of Kettle Creek in Wilkes County, Georgia.  Unbeknownst to Boyd and his men, about 350 Patriots, under the overall command of Colonel Andrew Pickens were close by and preparing to attack.

Splitting his men into three columns, Pickens attacked at 10 am on the morning of February 14,1779, and caught the Tories completely by surprise.  The pickets were driven back into camp.

Although the Tories had the larger numbers, the Patriot attack left them little time to organize to resist.  Boyd ordered his main force to take up defensive positions on a hill at the rear of the camp while he advanced with 100 men to a position behind a makeshift breastwork opposite the center of the Patriot line.

--Cooter