James Pettigrew first entered service as a substitute for his father from Abbeville Dist, SC in 1776 under Capt. William Baskin in an expedition against the Cherokees. Sometime after this he was drafted and served a short tour in Georgia, but the Seminoles could not be found. He was drafted again and served under Generals Pickens and Lincoln in the Battles of Stono Ferry [20 Jun 1779]; Cowpens [17 Jan 1781]; Hawfields [25 Feb 1781]; and Ninety Six [21 May-19 Jun 1781]. During his service an expedition to Camden under General Pickens his company was commanded by Lieutenant Adams he was also out two tours under Captain Joseph Calhoun, one of those was under Col. Anderson down the Edisto river, called the Bull Swamp Expedition [20 Dec 1781]. Besides these expeditions and battles, he was in the service in some way or other against the Indians, Tories or British constantly from the overthrow of Charleston by the British until the close of the war.