John Barnwell (1671–1724), also known as Tuscarora Jack, was an Anglo Irishman who emigrated to the

Province of South Carolina Province of South Carolina, originally known as Clarendon Province, was a province of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the thirteen American colonies. The monar ...

in 1701. He led an army against the Tuscarora in 1711–1712. Later he served the colony as an official in talks with England in forming the government. He also worked to revive the relationship between the colony and its former allies the

Yamasee The Yamasees (also spelled Yamassees or Yemassees) were a multiethnic confederation of Native Americans who lived in the coastal region of present-day northern coastal Georgia near the Savannah River and later in northeastern Florida. The Yamas ...

Life

Barnwell's exact origins are uncertain. By the time the

Tuscarora War The Tuscarora War was fought in North Carolina from September 10, 1711 until February 11, 1715 between the Tuscarora people and their allies on one side and European American settlers, the Yamassee, and other allies on the other. This was cons ...

began in 1712, Barnwell had become an important official of the colony. He led one army of colonial militia and allied Native Americans in campaigns. South Carolina sent two armies against the

Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following: First nations and Native American people and culture * Tuscarora people **''Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960) * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people * ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, the first of which Barnwell commanded in campaigns in late 1711 and early 1712. The army was made up mostly of Indians, especially

. Barnwell defeated the Tuscarora and arranged a peace treaty, after which his army disbanded. Hostilities between the Tuscarora and North Carolina resumed, and South Carolina sent a second army. North Carolina officials, blaming Barnwell for failing to destroy the Tuscarora, specifically requested another leader to command the second army. Barnwell was popularly known as "Tuscarora Jack" or "Tuscarora John" for his role in the war. In 1715 the

Yamasee War The Yamasee War (also spelled Yamassee or Yemassee) was a conflict fought in South Carolina from 1715 to 1717 between British settlers from the Province of Carolina and the Yamasee and a number of other allied Native American peoples, incl ...

broke out between colonists of South Carolina and the Yamasee and allied tribes. The Yamasee first attacked colonists near

Port Royal Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and co ...

. A survivor managed to flee to Port Royal Island, the main island, and sound the alarm. Barnwell and other colonists living on the island escaped by ship to Charles Town. When South Carolina overthrew the colonial proprietors and arranged to become a royal colony, John Barnwell travelled to London to represent the colony and help form the new government. After returning to South Carolina, he spent many years working for renewal of friendship with the Yamasee, who had migrated south to

Spanish Florida Spanish Florida ( es, La Florida) was the first major European land claim and attempted settlement in North America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, ...

. In 1721 Barnwell had a fortified outpost, named Fort King George, on the

Altamaha River The Altamaha River is a major river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles (220 km) from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties ...

, in an attempt to check the Spanish influence on the region and its Indians. He was never able to achieve a renewal of the old Yamasee-British alliance.

References

* "John Barnwell." ''Dictionary of American Biography'' Base Set. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928-1936. Reproduced in ''Biography Resource Center.'' Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007
Galegroup.com
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External links

Darien history
Mcintoshcounty.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnwell, John South Carolina colonial people 1671 births 1724 deaths