did for the Upcountry of
South Carolina what these heroes did for the Low Country.
Andrew grew up in South Carolina with the Cherokee
Indians as neighbors. He formed a close bond with the Indians and learned
their culture. He loved the land they loved. As an adult, he settled
near them in the Long Canes area, present day Abbeville.
When the time came that frontier settlers in the Up
Country had to fight the Indians to move to other areas, Congress chose Pickens
to lead that fight. He found his duty to go to war against his Indian
friends very painful. Yet he felt he had no choice. The killings of
entire white families must be stopped.
Pickens often defeated the Indians using skills he
learned from them. Because of this they both honored and feared him.
The Cherokees called him Skyagunsta, the Indian word for "Wizard Owl."
As an officer in the Revolutionary War, Pickens gained
