Waxhaws

Area on the border of North and South Carolina, USA

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.

## Geography

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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

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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.

## See also

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* The Long Canes

## References

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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. ^ a b c "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.

## External links

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* Museum of The Waxhaws and Andrew Jackson Memorial

34°55′33″N 80°44′45″W﻿ / ﻿34.9259°N 80.7459°W﻿ / 34.9259; -80.7459