Waxhaws

Last updated

The Waxhaws is a geographical area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina and South Carolina, United States. It encompasses the areas of Lancaster County, South Carolina and Union and Mecklenburg counties in North Carolina. The name is derived from that of the Indigenous people who inhabited the area at the time of its colonization by Westerners, the Waxhaw people. Much of the area is now the territory of the Catawba Indian Nation.

Contents

Geography

The area referred to as the "Waxhaws" is located in the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina lying southwest of the Uwharrie Mountains. It spans from just south of Charlotte, North Carolina, to Lancaster, South Carolina; and from Monroe, North Carolina, in the east to the Catawba River in the west. The region is generally forested and hilly, but not mountainous.

One town in the region bears the name, Waxhaw, North Carolina, incorporated in 1889. It is distinguished from the "Waxhaws" mentioned in many historical records.[ citation needed ]

History

The Brave Boy of The Waxhaws -
A youthful colonist at age thirteen, Andrew Jackson enlisted in the cause of his emerging country and was taken prisoner by the British. Being ordered by an officer to clean his boots, he indignantly refused and reportedly received a sword cut for his temerity that left the lifelong scars on his hand and face. He would go on to become the seventh president of the new United States of America. (Currier and Ives print, 1876) Andrew-Jackson-disobeys-British-officer-1780.png
The Brave Boy of The Waxhaws -
A youthful colonist at age thirteen, Andrew Jackson enlisted in the cause of his emerging country and was taken prisoner by the British. Being ordered by an officer to clean his boots, he indignantly refused and reportedly received a sword cut for his temerity that left the lifelong scars on his hand and face. He would go on to become the seventh president of the new United States of America. (Currier and Ives print, 1876)

Originally known by European settlers as the Waxhaw Settlement, the region was named for the indigenous people who populated it upon their arrival, the Waxhaw people. [1] The Waxhaw tribe had been almost annihilated by Eurasian infectious diseases following their first contact with European settlers. [2] Those who remained were killed or dispersed during the Yamasee War of 1715. [3] Around the year 1740, Irish, Scots-Irish, and German colonists began to move into The Waxhaws region and to establish farms. What is now the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church was built in 1752. [3]

During the American Revolutionary War, under the command of Colonel William Davie, Patriot militiamen were active in The Waxhaws. In 1781, the British forces of General Charles Cornwallis briefly occupied the town of Charlotte, North Carolina, already the largest town in the region, but his garrison was soon driven out by the local militia. Cornwallis later wrote that Charlotte was "a hornet's nest of rebellion", and Charlotte still is nicknamed, "The Hornet's Nest". The region's most important battle during the American Revolution did not involve locals.

During the Battle of Waxhaws, a Loyalist cavalry force led by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton easily defeated a force of approximately 350 Virginian Continentals under Colonel Abraham Buford, many of whom were killed as they were trying to surrender. The site of the battle is now the town of Buford, South Carolina. [4] The seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, was born and raised in The Waxhaws region. [5] At the time of his birth, a border between the Carolinas did not exist. The exact site of his birth is uncertain.

Later in life, perhaps for political reasons, Jackson claimed he was born on the South Carolina side of the new border. However, a midwife reportedly birthed Jackson in a cabin north of the border. [3] The eleventh president of the United States, James K. Polk, who took office on March 4, 1845, also was born in The Waxhaws region. His birthplace is now Pineville, North Carolina. During the American Civil War, in 1864, Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's army came through parts of the region.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York County, South Carolina</span> County in South Carolina, United States

York County is a county on the north central border in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,090, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. Its county seat is the city of York, and its most populous community is Rock Hill. One Interstate Highway serves the county, Interstate 77. York County is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster County, South Carolina</span> County in South Carolina, United States

Lancaster County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 96,016, Its county seat is Lancaster, which has an urban population of 23,979. The county was created in 1785. Lancaster County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the Piedmont region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in North Carolina</span>

Scouting in North Carolina has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waxhaw, North Carolina</span> Town in North Carolina, United States

Waxhaw is a town in Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 20,534 according to the 2020 Census. The population grew 108.28% from 2010. The name is derived from the indigenous people who lived in the area, who were known as the Waxhaw people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster, South Carolina</span> City in South Carolina, United States

The city of Lancaster is the county seat of Lancaster County, South Carolina, United States, located in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area. As of the United States Census of 2010, the city population was 8,526. The city was named after the famous House of Lancaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Richardson Davie</span> American military officer and Founding Father (1756-1820)

William Richardson Davie was an American statesman, politician, military general, Founding Father of the United States who served as the 10th Governor of North Carolina from 1798 to 1799. A member of the Federalist Party, Davie also served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention as a representative of North Carolina. He is also one of the key founders of the University of North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kings Mountain</span> Battle of the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took place on October 7, 1780, 9 miles (14 km) south of the present-day town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. In what is now rural Cherokee County, South Carolina, the Patriot militia defeated the Loyalist militia commanded by British Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Foot. The battle has been described as "the war's largest all-American fight".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Waxhaws</span> 1780 battle of the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Waxhaws was a military engagement which took place on May 29, 1780 during the American Revolutionary War between a Patriot force led by Abraham Buford and a British force led by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton near Lancaster, South Carolina. Buford's men consisted of Continental Army soldiers, while Tarleton's force was mostly made up of Loyalist troops. After the two forces sighted each other, Buford rejected an offer of surrender terms and Tarleton's cavalry charged. An unknown number of Buford's men then attempted to surrender at the same time as Tarleton's horse was shot, pinning him underneath. An unknown number of Loyalists, angered by this apparent perfidy, continued their attack, killing several Patriots until order was restored.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Mountain National Military Park</span> National Military Park and protected area

Kings Mountain National Military Park is a National Military Park near Blacksburg, South Carolina, along the North Carolina/South Carolina border. The park commemorates the Battle of Kings Mountain, a pivotal and significant victory by American Patriots over American Loyalists during the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Thomas Jefferson considered the battle "The turn of the tide of success."

The Yamasee War was a conflict fought in South Carolina from 1715 to 1717 between British settlers from the Province of Carolina and the Yamasee, who were supported by a number of allied Native American peoples, including the Muscogee, Cherokee, Catawba, Apalachee, Apalachicola, Yuchi, Savannah River Shawnee, Congaree, Waxhaw, Pee Dee, Cape Fear, Cheraw, and others. Some of the Native American groups played a minor role, while others launched attacks throughout South Carolina in an attempt to destroy the colony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Jackson State Park</span>

Andrew Jackson State Park is a 360-acre (1.5 km2) South Carolina state park established in 1952 to honor the only South Carolina-born president, Andrew Jackson, who was born nearby in 1767. The park is on U.S. Highway 521 about nine miles north of Lancaster, South Carolina. The park offers hiking, boating, camping, fishing and picnicking. There are 25 camping spaces with paved road access. Each space has water hookup and electricity. They are often full on weekends, but not during the week. Nearby is a 20-acre lake with an island in the middle and hiking paths all the way around it. There is abundant Wildlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedee people</span> Indigenous people of the Southeast United States

The Pedee people, also Pee Dee and Peedee, were a historic Native American tribe of the Southeastern United States. Historically, their population has been concentrated in the Piedmont of present-day South Carolina. It is believed that in the 17th and 18th centuries, English colonists named the Pee Dee River and the Pee Dee region of South Carolina for the tribe. Today four state-recognized tribes, one state-recognized group, and several unrecognized groups claim descent from the historic Pedee people. Presently none of these organizations are recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with the Catawba Indian Nation being the only federally recognized tribe within South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trading Path</span> Native American trail

The Trading Path was a corridor of roads and trails between the Tsenacommacah or Chesapeake Bay region and the Cherokee, Catawba, and other Native-American countries in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Indigenous folks had used and maintained much of the path for their expansive trading network for centuries prior to its use by Europeans and/or European-Americans. Native and later European/European-American settlements occupied key points along the path. That section of the Trading Path through the Carolina piedmont was also known as the Upper Road, and a portion between North Carolina and Georgia was called the Lower Cherokee Traders Path.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheraw</span> Historical Native American tribe from the Carolinas, U.S.

The Cheraw people, also known as the Saraw or Saura, were a Siouan-speaking tribe of Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, in the Piedmont area of North Carolina near the Sauratown Mountains, east of Pilot Mountain and north of the Yadkin River. They lived in villages near the Catawba River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Charlotte</span> 1780 battle

The Battle of Charlotte was an American Revolutionary War battle fought in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 26, 1780. The battle took place at the Mecklenburg County Court House; which is now the site of the Bank of America tower at Trade and Tryon Streets in uptown Charlotte. An advance guard of General Charles Cornwallis' army rode into town and encountered a well-prepared Patriot militia under the command of William R. Davie in front of the court house. A skirmish ensued in which George Hanger, leading the British cavalry, was wounded. The small Patriot force, which had not intended more than token resistance, withdrew north toward Salisbury upon the arrival of Cornwallis and the main army.

The Waxhaw people were a Native American tribe who historically lived in present-day counties of Lancaster, in South Carolina; and Union and Mecklenburg in North Carolina, around the area of present-day Charlotte.

Van Wyck is a town in the panhandle of Lancaster County, South Carolina, United States. It is part of the Charlotte Metropolitan Area. Van Wyck is 29 miles (47 km) south of Charlotte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Hagler</span> Chief of the Catawba Nation

King Hagler or Nopkehee was a chief of the Catawba Native American tribe from 1754 to 1763. Hagler is known as the "Patron Saint of Camden, South Carolina." He was the first Native American to be inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame. He is known for opposing the sale of alcohol to Catawbas and other Native Americans, and encouraged the Catawba people to abstain from alcohol. He worked to negotiate fair land rights and treaties for the Catawba people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Cemetery</span> United States historic place in Lancaster County, South Carolina

Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Cemetery, also known as Old Waxhaw Cemetery, is a historic Presbyterian church cemetery located near Lancaster, Lancaster County, South Carolina. It was founded in 1757 and is a visual reminder of the pioneer settlement of Waxhaw. It includes noteworthy examples of 18th and 19th century tombstones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States

The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, containing the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and Rock Hill as well as the large suburban area in the counties surrounding Mecklenburg County, which is at the center of the metro area. Located in the Piedmont, it is the largest metropolitan area in the Carolinas, and the fourth largest in the Southeastern United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States.

References

  1. Ramsey, William L. (January 1, 2008). The Yamasee War: A Study of Culture, Economy, and Conflict in the Colonial South. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN   978-0803237445.
  2. Waxhaws, Museum of the. "President Andrew Jackson's Connection to Waxhaw". museumofthewaxhaws.org/. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Museum of the Waxhaws and Andrew Jackson Memorial". Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  4. Louise Pettus. "The Buford Massacre".
  5. Waxhaws, Museum of the. "President Andrew Jackson's Connection to Waxhaw". museumofthewaxhaws.org/. Retrieved April 9, 2020.

34°55′33″N80°44′45″W / 34.9259°N 80.7459°W / 34.9259; -80.7459