Andrew Neel b.abt 1757, was the son of Col Thomas Neel Jr. and Jean Spratt Neel. Jean was the daughter of Thomas Spratt Sr. and Mary Clark Spratt. After the death of Col. Thomas Neel, Andrew Neel and Billy Hill were elected colonels of the York Co. Militia. After this, Col. Andrew Neel went in pursuit of Col Floyd, a Tory colonel, who was committing depredations in the western part of the district. During the absence of Neel, Capt Huck, with a party of British and Tories, came to the Iron Works, and totally destroyed the houses, forges, grist mills, and other property, carrying away about ninety of Col Hill`s slaves. Col Neel`s next engagement was in the Battle of Williamson, along with Cols. Lacey, Hill, Bratton and Capt McClure. Here Col Huck was killed. This battle, while small in number of men engaged, was a very important victory, because it occurred at the darkest hour of the Revolution in South Carolina. The whole State had taken British protection, except that part now know as York County. We next find Col Neel joining forces with Co Lyles and they in turn joined Col Sumter on the Catawba River. Col Sumter, having received reinforcement from Cols. Neel, Ervin, Lyles, and others, decided to make an attack on Rocky Mount, present site of Great Falls, SC. They found this post much more strongly fortified than they expected. And not having any cannon, Col. Neel was sent with a forlorn hope to destroy the abatis and try to gain entrance to the fort. Although they gained entrance on three separate occasions, Col Neel and seven privates, five whites and two Catawba Indians were killed. Sumter finding that he was unable to reduce the fort, attemped to set fire to it. Col Hill and James Johnston of Fairfield volunteered to set fire to the fort. They accomplished their purpose under very trying conditions, when in the language of Col Hill, a terrific rain put out the fire. Loss of the British in this affair was somewhat greater than the Americans. Taken from the Sketch of the Neel-Johnston Family of the New Acquisition by David A. Bigger, M.D.