Andrew Pickens was born in Pennsylvania on September 19, 1739, to parents who were of Irish descent. In 1752, he and his father moved to the Waxhaw settlement in South Carolina. He married Rebecca Calhoun in 1765, aunt of the late John C. Calhoun, named one of the most beautiful ladies in the South. They had 12 children, one son Andrew Pickens later became Governor of South Carolina. He was one of the most significant leaders of Patriot forces in the South Carolina backcountry. Pickens was most known for his leadership in the Battles of Kettle Creek, Cowpens, Eutaw Springs, the Siege of Ninety-Six, and took part in the Snow Campaign, to name a few. By 1780, the British dominated as they took Charles Town, captured the Continental Army, and swept inland from Coastal Carolina. Pickens and other militia leaders surrendered to the British and swore to sit out the war under British protection. This did not last long when Tory raiders destroyed much of Pickens’ plantation and scared his family, so he gathered the militia and resumed guerilla activities against the British. Young Pickens farmed, raised cattle, became acquainted with his Indian neighbors, and established a prosperous trading business with them. Many Indians, however, became Loyalists, in hopes of regaining their land, so he was a friend and foe of the Cherokee. After the American Revolutionary War, now Brigadier General, Pickens bought land on the banks of the Keowee River, across from the old Cherokee town of Seneca, and built his home “Hopewell”. He served as a political middleman between the Cherokees and the new America and served as a federal commissioner to negotiate peace with several Indian Nations. Pickens also served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and the senate. Brigadier General Andrew Pickens died on August 11, 1817, at his home at Tamassee. He and his wife are buried at the Old Stone Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Pendleton, South Carolina.