John McCord

John McCord was a 13-year-old boy who lived in the Long Canes area of Abbeville County. The McCords were Scots-Irish immigrants who had come to Abbeville by way of Virginia and were in favor of independence from Great Britain. Despite his young age, John was eager to join the cause of freedom, and in the summer of 1776 he volunteered for service under Captain Joseph Pickens, the brother of Andrew Pickens. Captain Joseph Pickens noted that John was “both young and slender of frame” and that he would prefer the boy to “give up his rifle and powder horn” to a more experienced soldier and instead serve the cause by procuring provisions, shelling corn for the troops, watching over the supplies, caring for the sick, supervising prisoners, and carrying messages. John agreed to serve in this capacity until he came of age, and after a few years he performed a tour of duty under Captain Moses Liddell, then became part of a corps tasked with guarding the blockhouse at Fort Pickens (which was located just off the Square), and then John joined a special bodyguard unit for Andrew Pickens to accompany him to Tolls Station on the Saluda River.

All this fascinating information can be found in John McCord’s pension application, which can be read in full here.