"Go west young man and grow with the country,” wrote one news reporter, and, at 17, Jack Swilling went west to do just that. Born John William Swilling on April Fools’ Day in 1830, in Anderson County, South Carolina, Jack and his brother, Barry, landed first in Georgia. There, Jack enlisted himself as a musician under the name Jackson W. Swilling. The brothers fought in the Mexican-American War and were discharged soon after, in 1848. They returned home to enlist in the Georgia Cavalry.
Already Signed Up? Log in here.
Read this article now for Free!
Ready for a third free article? Create a free account by entering your email address and a password below.
— OR —
Sign Up Now for $29.95 a year and have immediate access to all of True West content, including the complete True West Archives dating back to 1953!
