Background
- Francis Marion was an American revolutionary war hero, nicknamed the “Swamp Fox” by the British because of his elusive tactics. Born near Georgetown, SC, around 1732, his family settled on the Santee River, and he received a country school education.
- He was an established planter in his early adult years, as he came into a small inheritance.
Military Service
He served in two campaigns in the French and Indian War (1756-1763), 1775 – Elected to the SC Provincial Congress as a representative In August of 1780, Marion launched guerrilla warfare against the Loyalists along the Pee and Santee rivers. “Father of Guerrilla Warfare” After the Continental Army returned to SC, Marion served as Brigadier General of part of the SC Militia under Major General Nathanael Greene of the Continental Army’s Southern Department. While Sumter was striking heavy blows here and there in the northwestern part of SC, Marion was performing like service in the northeastern part along the Pee Dee River. 4 Marion’s role in the war changed course after an odd accident in March of 1780. Attending a dinner party at the Charleston home of a fellow officer, Marion found that the host, in accordance with 18th-century custom, had locked all the doors while he toasted the American cause. The toasts went on and on, and Marion, who was not a drinking man, felt trapped. He escaped by jumping out a second story window but broke his ankle in the fall. Marion left town to recuperate in the country, with the fortunate result that he was not captured when the British took Charleston that May. When peace came, Mario retired to his plantation a little below Eutaw, were he died on February 29, 1795 at the age of 63.
