John Barnwell

John Barnwell (1671–1724), also known as Tuscarora Jack, was an Anglo-Irish soldier who emigrated to the Province of South Carolina in 1701. He led an army against the Tuscarora in 1711–1712. Later he served the colony as an official in talks with England in forming the government. He also worked to revive the relationship between the colony and its former allies the Yamasee. Life Barnwell's exact origins are uncertain. By the time the Tuscarora War began in 1712, Barnwell had become an important official of the colony. He led one army of colonial militia and allied Native Americans in campaigns. South Carolina sent two armies against the Tuscarora in North Carolina, the first of which Barnwell commanded in campaigns in late 1711 and early 1712. The army was made up mostly of Indians, especially Yamasee. Barnwell defeated the Tuscarora and arranged a peace treaty, after which his army disbanded. Hostilities between the Tuscarora and North Carolina resumed, and South Carolina sent a second army. North Carolina officials, blaming Barnwell for failing to destroy the Tuscarora, specifically requested another leader to command the second army. Barnwell was popularly known as "Tuscarora Jack" or "Tuscarora John" for his role in the war.