The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-22
A SOLDIER AT THIRTEEN
The Brave Boyhood of Andrew
Jackson.

Andrew Jackson, who defeated the
British in the great battle of New Or
leans and afterwards was President Of
the United States, became soldier
and gave good account of himself
in battle when he was only thirteen
years old.
Andrews mother had intended that
he should be a minister and so sent
him to school early. By the time he
was twelve years old he was not only
a good English scholar, but had made
much progress in Latin and Greek.
The War of the Revolution was
ravaging the land and Andrew longed
for the time when he should be big
enough to shoulder musket and go
and fight for his country. He lived
at a place called Waxhaw in South
Carolina, and it was not long before
the region was invaded by the soldiers
of the British King.
Lord Rawdon, with a large body of
English troops, was sent by Corn
wallis, the British commander-in-
chief, to lay waste the Waxhaw re-
gion and scare the inhabitants into
acknowledging the authority of the
King of England. Andrews mother,
a poor widow, fed with her children
into North Carolina upon the ap-
proach of Lord Rawdon, leaving her
little farm to the mercy of the in
Vaders.
Andrew, who was a student at the
Waxhaw Academy had to abandon
his studies and although he was only
| thirteen years old, he determined that
the next time he encountered the
British it would be as soldier. He
would run from them no more.
AS soon as Lord Rawdon left the
WaXhaw district the fugitives return
ed to their desolate homes and in a
few weeks the American general,
Sumner, appeared among them and,
raising the patriot standard, summon
ed the settlers to join it in arms.
Soon he was at the head of a small
but brave band, and among his fol-
lowers was little Andrew Jackson.
They fought without clothing and
| food. Sometimes a few kernels of
parched corn was all they had to eat
| for days at a time.
They gathered together muskets of
| all sorts and those who could not get
musket made themselves swords and
| spears out of scythes and pitchfolks.
| In the swamps and forests of South
Carolina they lay hidden to dart on
| detached parties of the British and
their friends the Tories.
They soon felt strong enough to at
| tack British post and so marched
against the English fortified camp at
place called Hanging Rock They
drove the British out, killing many of
| them, and forcing the rest to retreat
into a strong fort near by.
This was Andrew Jackson's first
battle and he so distinguished him
self in it that his name is mentioned
| in all tho nd
engagement which have come down to
| us.
With Andrew in this battle was his
brother Robert, who was only a few
years older than himself. The Stub
born patriotism of the Waxhaw set
tiers having become we'll known to
the British, Lord Rawdon the next
day sent Maj. Coffin with a body of
cavalry and infantry, to that part of
! the country with orders to kill or
| capture all the Waxhaw men ne could
| find.
| Andrew was at home with his
mother when the news reached him
| of the advance of the British. He had
| just turned fourteen now and felt
himself quite a man and. soldier.
| With his brother and his cousin.
Lieut.. Crawford. he summoned ali
| the settlers capable of bearing arms
| tO6SlhSI dl the w dXndW meetinn
house and prepare to resist the in
| vaders.
About forty men and boys had coll
| lected at the meeting house and vera
waiting for force which had prom
ised to join them under Capt, Mes
bitt, when the saw soldiers approach
ing. They supposed these to be the
expected reinforcements, and It was
only when the troops were close upon
them that they saw that the strangers
were the soldiers sent by Lord Raw.
don.
The British dragons dashed in
among the patriots, striking down
with their swords all who came in
| their way.
Some of the patriots sprang upon
their horses and escaped. Among
these were Andrew jackson and Lieut.
| Crawford -
In passing over a piece of swananv
| ground the lieutenant's horse became
stuck IN the mud, and the British. who
were IN hot pursuit, captured the Young
ofhcer But they could not canture
Andrew. Soon after. Andrew met his
brother. who had also escaped and
the two hid In the woods. near the
mouse or their cousins. the cf.awfords
Becoming very hungry they Ieft their
arms and horses In the woods. ana no
! British being IN sight, went to ,be