Robert Anderson (November 15, 1741 – January 9, 1813) was a politician,
militia officer, and
surveyor from South Carolina. He was a lifelong friend of
General Andrew Pickens.
Anderson, South Carolina
Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 28,106 at the 2020 census, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 75,702. It is one of the principal cities in the Green ...
,
Anderson County, South Carolina, and the ghost town of
Andersonville are named for him.
Early life
He was born on November 15, 1741 in
Augusta County, Virginia
Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its county ...
. His parents were John and Jane Anderson, Presbyterian immigrants who had immigrated to Virginia from the town of
Ballymena
Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim.
The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I i ...
in
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
(in what is today
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
.)
Marriage and children
He married Anne Thompson in 1765. They moved to
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
and settled near his friend from Virginia, Andrew Pickens. She died after twenty-five years of marriage. They had five children:
* Robert, Jr., married Maria Thomas.
* Anne married Dr. William Hunter.
* Mary (1766–1810) married Robert Maxwell (1753–1797), a Revolutionary War hero, was appointed as sheriff of the Greenville District. He lived in Greenville County and was killed by an ambush on November 10, 1797 while he was crossing the Saluda River shoals, where Piedmont Mill Dam was later built. His grave is fifteen miles south of Greenville, near Ware Place.
* Jane Anderson (b. 12 June 1775) married William Shaw.
* Elizabeth married Samuel Maverick. One child was
Samuel Maverick
Samuel Augustus Maverick (July 23, 1803 – September 2, 1870) was a Texas lawyer, politician, land baron and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. His name is the source of the term "maverick," first cited in 1867, which means "indepe ...
.
In 1793, Anderson married a second time, to Lydia Maverick, a widow in
Pendleton, South Carolina
Pendleton is a town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,489 at the 2020 census. It is a sister city of Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
The Pendleton Historic District, consisting of the town and i ...
. Her son, Samuel, married Robert's daughter Elizabeth.
After the death of his second wife, he married Mrs. Reese. She was the widow of Dr. Thomas Reese, who was the pastor of
Old Stone Church.
Military service
In 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 ...
, he joined the Fifth South Carolina Militia. He became a captain in the regiment commanded by his friend
Andrew Pickens when they fought
Boyd's Loyalists.
Anderson was one of the Patriots who gave their parole to the British as
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 ...
. Many took up arms after the British had disregarded their promises.
At the
Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Lieutenant Colo ...
, Anderson was a colonel under Brigadier General Andrew Pickens. Anderson also served under
Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee. He fought in the
Battle of Eutaw Springs
The Battle of Eutaw Springs was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, and was the last major engagement of the war in the Carolinas. Both sides claimed victory.
Background
In early 1781, Major General Nathanael Greene, commander of the ...
in which the British were victorious. Later, his regiment held the line against the British between
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...
and Ninety Six.
On the western frontier, he fought with Andrew Pickens against the
Cherokees
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 ...
. A treaty signed in 1777 ceded most of the Cherokee lands in the present
Anderson
Anderson or Andersson may refer to:
Companies
* Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910
* Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car
* Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer
* Anderson ...
,
Oconee, and
Pickens counties.
After the war, Anderson was promoted to the rank of general in the state militia.
Political career
He served in the
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections.
Unlike many legislatures, seati ...
from 1791 to 1794 and from 1801 to 1802 from the
Pendleton District. He was an elder of the Old Stone Church. In 1800, he was elector for
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
and
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...
.
He owned in the current
Anderson
Anderson or Andersson may refer to:
Companies
* Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910
* Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car
* Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer
* Anderson ...
,
Oconee, and
Pickens Counties including his home, Westville, on the west side of the
Seneca River across from Andrew Picken's home, Hopewell.
Death and legacy
He died at his home on January 9, 1813. A flood prevented his burial at Old Stone Church, and he was buried on his estate. During the construction of
Lake Hartwell
Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing parts of the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the Southeastern United States' largest recreation lakes. The lake was created ...
, his body was reinterred at Old Stone Church.
The ghost town of
Andersonville, the City of
Anderson
Anderson or Andersson may refer to:
Companies
* Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910
* Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car
* Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer
* Anderson ...
, and
Anderson County were named for him.
References
Sources
* Louise Ayer Vandiver, ''Traditions and History of Anderson County'', Ruralist Press, Atlanta, GA, 1928.
* Frank A. Dickson, ''Journeys into the Past: The Anderson's Region's Heritage'', Sponsored by the Anderson County Bicentennial Committee, 1975.
*
*
External links
RootswebRobert Anderson's grave.
Historical Marker DatabaseAnderson S.C.: The Electric City Historical Marker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Robert
1741 births
1813 deaths
American militia generals
Anderson County, South Carolina
Oconee County, South Carolina
People from Augusta County, Virginia
South Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution
American people of Irish descent