PICKENS, ANDREW (1739-1817), American soldier in the Revolutionary War, was born in Paxton, Pa., on Sept. 19, 1739. His family settled at the Waxhaws (in what is now Lancaster county), S.C., in 1752. He fought against the Cherokees in 1761 as a lieutenant. In the Revolutionary War he rose to brigadier-gen eral (after Cowpens) in the South Carolina militia. On Feb. 14, '779, with 300-40o men, he surprised and defeated about 700 Loy alists on Kettle Creek, Wilkes county, Ga. ; and later in the same year at Tomassee defeated the Cherokees, who were allied with the British. Upon the surrender of Charleston (May 1780) he became a prisoner on parole, which he observed rigidly until, contrary to the promises made to him, Maj. James Dunlap plundered his plantation; he then returned to active service. His command (about 150 men) joined Gen. Daniel Morgan immediately before the battle of Cowpens, in which Pickens commanded an advance guard (270-350 men from Georgia and North Carolina) and twice rallied the broken American militia ; for his services Congress gave him a sword. With Col. Henry Lee he harassed Lieut.-col.
Banastre Tarleton, who was attempting to gather a Loyalist force just before the battle of Guilford court house ; and with Lee and others, he captured Augusta (June 5, 1781) after a siege. At Eu taw Springs (Sept. 8, 1781) he commanded the left wing and was wounded. In 1782 he defeated the Cherokees again. After the war he was active for several years in state politics, and in 1793- 95 was a representative in Congress. He died in Pendleton dis trict, S.C., on Aug. 17, 1817. He married in 1765 Rebecca Cal houn, an aunt of John C. Calhoun. Their son, ANDREW PICKENS (1779-1838), served as a lieutenant-colonel in the War of 1812, and was governor of South Carolina in 1816-18.
See E. B. Pickens, "Life of General Pickens," Journal of Amer. Hist., vol. xviii., pp. 131-136 (1924)•