In 1765, a poor Scotch-Irish family moved to America in hopes of escaping the harsh reality of European life. The family moved to what is now Waxhaw, South Carolina. On March 15, 1767 a child was born and given the name Andrew Jackson. Shortly after his birth, the Revolutionary War began between the United States and Great Britain.
The year was 1780, British troops had taken South Carolina, and Andrew's oldest brother had joined the American regiment fighting in their home town, but died due to heat exhaustion in battle. At the sight of his deceased brother Hugh, Jackson joined the army as a mounted messenger. After the fighting halted, both Andrew Jackson and his brother Robert (who had also joined the American army by now) went back home to the Crawford's. Even though official battles had been temporarily stopped, the "civil war" raged on as Patriots fought Tories in the towns of South Carolina, catching young Andrew Jackson in the midst of the fight.
English: Andrew Jackson - 7 th President of the Un...
Portrait of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president ...
78 year old Andrew JacksonIn one bloody encounter, Jackson and his brother were taken prisoner by British soldiers. A British officer ordered Andrew to clean his boots. The boy refused, claiming his right as a prisoner of war not to be treated like a servant. The furious officer whipped out his sword and slashed at the Andrew's head. Luckily for Jackson, his stealth saved him from certain death, but leaving him with scars on his left hand and head which he carried with him his whole life, along with a hatred for the British.
Thrown into prison camp, Elizabeth Jackson would not let her sons rot in British cells, and making deals for exchange of prisoners, got her sons in the trade. Alas, Robert died during the trip home, and Elizabeth was barely able to save Andrew. Being the...