For those who may be interested, there is a new reprint of "Horse Shoe 
Robinson", John Pendleton Kennedy, 1835.
It is available from Amazon.com.  Price $100.  This is a reprint of the 
1937 version.  It is full text, but has some minor 
modernizations  (spelling, punctuation, etc.).  I do not particularly 
recommend its purchase.  Just thought some would be interested.  It is 
still possible to pick up used copies if you are patient enough.

Around 1819, Kennedy heard my ancestor, James "Horse Shoe" Robertson tell 
his RevWar tales over a period of several hours.  Kennedy was not a 
professional writer, but a lawyer, Sec. of Navy, etc.  The book was notable 
in that it was well-written (for the time), but that it was the first such 
epic to be written with Americans as heroes, and written from that 
viewpoint.  It is not history, although it has often been confused as such 
in SC (there are some SC DAR members in whose company I would not utter 
such a thought!).  It is historical fiction.  It gives some great 
descriptions of what the forests and streams were like before we 
'civilized' them. I believe the real Horse Shoe to have been a 
story-teller, and that he did not tell these stories with himself as the 
hero (although that was likely true for a few of them).  It is historical 
fact that he was captured at Charleston, was a POW on Sullivan's Island, 
and escaped after only a month and made his way back from Charleston 
through British-controlled territory to his home in the SC 'backcountry' on 
Thicketty Creek, near Grindal Shoals, about 12 mi. s. of Gaffney.   Getting 
back must have been a story in itself.  That is a hard 4+ hour drive today 
at interstate speeds.  The RevWar fought there differed from that fought 
anywhere else.  It was an intense, widespread, bitter and very violent 
civil war.  (The recently released "Patriot" movies takes that as its 
theme).  He served the last two years primarily in the Thomas Brandon 
regiment of SC militia who was typically in the thick of things (and this 
is where all the stories came from).  During this period he also served 42 
days (a 6-wk enlistment) in the Vardry McBee's company, a company very 
local to the area of his home, described as "minutemen".  I do not recall 
any stories being based on his prior 4 years served in the Continental 
Line.   His step-father after the age of 12 was 'Captain' James Terrell 
(called so the rest of his life for his militia service) of 
Spartanburg/Union district.  HS remained in the area until around 1790, 
when he moved to Pendleton District (now Oconee County).  The 1825 Mills 
Atlas (1820) shows the location of his home (close to the time when Kennedy 
met him).  In 1822, HS moved to Tuscaloosa Co. AL, where he died in 1838.

When portions of the book were read to him a year or two before he died, he 
diplomatically said that the stories were "true in their rightful place and 
time" but that the author had "mightily furnished them up".   He disavowed 
any knowledge of the women Kennedy incorporated into the story.  The old 
man became a media-hero of the time/area since the book went thru 6 
printings (and was reprinted later) despite its enormous price of $0.75 for 
the two big volumes.

The spelling of the surname is up for grabs.   His father went by 
Robertson.  His grandfather, Israel is given as Robinson, Roberson, 
Robertson (and I think I recall Robyson and Robison, also!).  I usually 
just use Rob*son, and let others fill in what they wish.

There is a house still standing about 3 miles w. of Westminster SC on 
Horseshoe Bridge Road that is reputed to be that of HS, with a huge burdock 
tree reputed to have been planted by him.    The solid-hewn-log structure 
is now covered with clapboard, with tv antenna and modern bathroom added 
and in use as a rental house.   Replete with Rebel Flag on the back 
porch!  However, the 1820 map shows the house on the other side of the road 
and closer to the river bend.

So there you have it, our own ROB*SON 'Patriot'!

John Robertson

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