Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Andrew Williamson (c. 1730–1786) was a Scottish-born trader, planter, and military officer. Serving in the South Carolina Militia, rising to be commissioned as

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

in the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. He led numerous campaigns against

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

, who in 1776 had launched an attack against frontier settlements across a front from Tennessee to central South Carolina. Williamson was particularly effective in suppressing the Cherokee, killing an unknown number of Cherokees and destroying 31 of their towns.Nadia Dean, A Demand of Blood: The Cherokee War of 1776, Valley River Press, 2012 As a result of his Indian campaign, the Cherokee ceded more than a million acres in the Carolinas. Following the fall of Charleston to the British in 1780 after a month-long siege, and the capture of thousands of American troops, the Patriot resistance was effectively subdued in South Carolina and Georgia. Williamson, like some other officers and troops, appeared to sue for peace. While the circumstances were not clear, he appeared to be aiding the British. He was captured by Americans and gained release, moving from White Hall close to Charleston. There he was taken captive in a second American raid, but freed by British forces. After the war, Patriot General

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...

testified that Williamson had acted in Charleston to collect intelligence and pass it to the Americans; he was the "first major double agent" in America.

Early life

Williamson was most likely born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. As a child he emigrated with his parents, whose names are not known, to British Colonial America. They settled on the western frontier in

Ninety Six, South Carolina Ninety Six is a town in Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,998 at the 2010 census. Geography Ninety Six is located in eastern Greenwood County at (34.173211, -82.021710). South Carolina Highway 34 passes through ...

, which was called the Long Cane District. Like many other Scots on the frontier, Williamson became a trader, known by 1758 to be supplying cattle and hogs to frontier forts. He may also have driven cattle to Charles Town to market. He bought a

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

, called Hard Labor, near a creek by the same name, and in

Greenwood County Greenwood County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Greenwood County, Kansas Greenwood County (county code GW) is a county located in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county populat ...

near the settlement of Ninety Six. He renamed it as White Hall. He also purchased

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

to work the property. It was one of the few large plantations in this area. Much of the backcountry was being settled by Scots and Scots-Irish subsistence farmers, many of whom were Loyalists in the Revolution. Williamson was contracted to build a fort at Ninety Six, and later he built Fort Charlotte on the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...

toward North Carolina. Williamson married Eliza "Betty" Tyler of the prominent Virginia family, and they had four surviving children together. She died in 1781 during the Revolutionary War. In 1760, he was commissioned as lieutenant in the colonial militia, a step up to the officer corps for a man most sources agree was likely illiterate. In the early 1760s, he participated in a couple of expeditions against the

, who were raiding and harassing settlers. He supported defeating and enslaving the Cherokee. He became highly influential by the time of the Revolution, having been promoted to the rank of major, established continuing relations with

Henry Laurens Henry Laurens (December 8, 1792) was an American Founding Father, merchant, slave trader, and rice planter from South Carolina who became a political leader during the Revolutionary War. A delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Laure ...

and other colonial leaders, and served on provincial commissions. In 1774 and 1775, he was elected to South Carolina's Provincial Congress with other men from Ninety-Six District, including

Francis Salvador Francis Salvador (1747 – 1 August 1776) was an English-born American plantation owner in the colony of South Carolina from the Sephardic Jewish community of London; in 1774 he was the first Jew to be elected to public office in the colonies whe ...

and Richard Rapley.

Revolutionary War service

At the start of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, Williamson fortified his plantation, which he later used as his military headquarters, and as a fort, prison and arms depot. (The British added to the

star fort A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...

in the settlement, as they considered this an important strategic location and wanted to control it.) There were numerous Loyalists in this part of the state. At this time, the settlement of Ninety Six had about 10 houses, a jail and a courthouse, with a total of about 100 settlers living in the area. In November 1775, Williamson led militia in what was called the Battle of Williamson's Fort, the first battle of the Southern Campaign here, to recapture gunpowder and ammunition hijacked by Loyalists. His call attracted 532 Patriots, but soon 1500 to 2000 Loyalists were gathering outside the village against them. The forces reached a truce and casualties were light. Williamson's men were aided by their temporary fortifications at his plantation. The open warfare tended to harden loyalties and enmities in the interior areas became vicious.

The Williamson campaign

Several months later Williamson led troops in the Battle of Twelve Mile Creek on August 1, 1776, in response to

attacks throughout the frontier since June, in which hundreds of warriors ranged across a front, attacking settlers in Virginia and the Carolinas. Williamson's forces were ambushed five times. They regrouped, gained reinforcements and during the fall, attacked the Cherokee again, making a coordinated attack with the North Carolina militia's

Rutherford Light Horse expedition The Rutherford Light Horse expedition was a punitive military excursion launched against the Lower, Middle, and Overhill Cherokee settlements of the Cherokee Indians in the Appalachian region of North Carolina. This was in retaliation for the Na ...

.''Cherokee Expeditions''
Carolana.com; retrieved May 2016 The South Carolina militia destroyed the Cherokee towns of Esseneca,

Keowee Keowee ( chr, ᎫᏩᎯᏱ, translit=Guwahiyi) was a Cherokee town in the far northwest corner of present-day South Carolina. It was the principal town of what were called the seven Lower Towns, located along the Keowee River (Colonists referred ...

, Estatoe,

Tugaloo Tugaloo (''Dugiluyi'' (ᏚᎩᎷᏱ)) was a Cherokee town located on the Tugaloo River, at the mouth of Toccoa Creek. It was south of Toccoa and Travelers Rest State Historic Site in present-day Stephens County, Georgia. Cultures of ancient ind ...

and others of the lower towns. The militia also destroyed the food stores of the people in every town. The Indian campaign gathered increasing force. Williamson was commissioned as a colonel to lead a related campaign in North Carolina, commanding 2300 men and destroying the Cherokee town of Topton in

Cherokee County Cherokee County is the name of eight counties in the United States: * Cherokee County, Alabama * Cherokee County, Georgia * Cherokee County, Iowa * Cherokee County, Kansas * Cherokee County, North Carolina * Cherokee County, Oklahoma * Cherokee Co ...

. In September 1776 Williamson petitioned the South Carolina legislature to allow his men to enslave Cherokee taken as captives; while the measure had some support, the legislature rejected it, worried about potential effects on the colony's men. From the Patriots' view, Williamson's campaigns against the Cherokee were a success; they petitioned for peace and ceded more than a million acres of land in what is now the counties of Anderson, Pickens, Oconee and Greenville in South Carolina.

Alexander Chesney Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

wrote that they destroyed 32 of the Cherokees' 62 towns.

Fall of Charleston

In 1778 Williamson was commissioned as a brigadier general in the militia. That year the Southern Campaign was heating up and he took part in the third Florida-Georgia expedition against the British in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. the first two expeditions had been failures. They intended to take the city of St. Augustine. Williamson commanded three militias and went to battle with three other commanders on the Patriot side. While they suffered short rations and a high rate of desertions on the lengthy expedition, Williamson was known to have supplied his troops better than the others. He was well liked as a commander and the Cherokee called him “Warrior Beloved Man.” Charleston fell in 1780 after a month-long

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

and 5,000 American troops were captured. Most people felt that South Carolina and Georgia were effectively finished. "This event seemed to all, except the boldest spirits, to be the end of the struggle in that part of South Carolina, if not in the whole State. The British regarded the country as not only conquered, but subdued." They established a garrison at Ninety Six, which had effectively surrendered, and developed an earthen star fort there. Williamson had been at Augusta, where the British avoided battle. He queried his forces, and most of the officers and men wanted to accept British terms and take parole. The British were trying to dismantle the opposition by offering the rebels parole and protection, if they promised not to take arms against the Crown again, nor incite others to do so. Some more prominent officers and men they wanted to send to Caribbean islands for the duration. Williamson returned to White Hall and carefully approached the British. Other of his comrades sought "peace", although surrender was not discussed. Williamson wanted to stay at his plantation, but he was considered a prize by the British. He was said to try to persuade other leaders in South Carolina to follow his lead, specifically Pickens, Hammond, Bowie and Rapley. Historian Llewellyn M. Toulmin's conclusion based on the documentation and Williamson's actions is that he had taken protection and was assisting the British, including supplying them. Several other leading officers sought peace with the British. Some later returned to the Rebel side, angered as the British tried to have senior officers rally younger men against the American cause. In addition, Loyalists had caused damage in the district and aroused hostility. His former compatriots considered Williamson a traitor. They twice took him prisonerthe first time to persuade him to reconsider, but he regained his freedom. He moved closer to Charleston, where the British gave him a plantation. Williamson was taken prisoner a second time, by a raiding party led by Colonel

Isaac Hayne Isaac Hayne (23 September 1745 – 4 August 1781) was one of the most prominent Americans to be executed by the British during the American War of Independence.

. They were intercepted within 24 hours by a British column, who freed Williamson and took Hayne

prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

.''The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military.'', Oxford University Press, Inc., 2002. "Williamson, Andrew (1730?–1786)", website o
www.answers.com
Retrieved 2009-11-03Benson John Lossing. ''The Pictorial Field-book of the Revolution: or, Illustrations, by Pen and Pencil, of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for Independence'', Volume 2, Harper & Brothers, 1860
Footnote 3, pp. 506-507
/ref> " e British hanged Col. Hayne on 4 August 1781 because he (like Williamson) had given his pledge to the British to not fight against them. Unlike Williamson, Hayne had violated his parole (in the eyes of the British) by taking up arms again" so they hanged him as an example. This brought more notoriety to Williamson. He stayed within the British lines until the end of the war. After the war, the South Carolina General Assembly voted to confiscate Williamson's White Hall plantation. In a published list of those who were to lose their properties, Williamson was classified among eleven "obnoxious persons" for his actions. But, Patriot General

testified that Williamson was not a turncoat but had been providing

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

on the British to the Continental Army, and the former general was able to recover some standing.LLEWELLYN M. TOULMIN, "Backcountry Warrior: Brig. Gen. Andrew Williamson", ''Journal of Backcountry Studies'', Vol. 7 No.1, Spring 2012 He was not able to return to his beloved White Hall, however, since it was too dangerous for him to live upcountry. (White Hall eventually disappeared and has been the object of a to-date unsuccessful search by descendants, state and Federal archaeologists.) Williamson died in Charleston in 1786. To his contemporaries and down to the present day, Williamson continues to be considered a controversial figure. Historian Llewellyn M. Toulmin has written of Williamson, "Because of his high rank and important information that he passed on for almost a year, he can fairly be described as 'America’s first major double agent.'"

Early life

Revolutionary War service

The Williamson campaign

Fall of Charleston

References

Further reading