Marion, Francis

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

Francis (1732-1795), an American soldier. He was a native of South Carolina , of Huguenot ancestry. When a lad he saw service in the West India trade. He also served in the campaign against the Cherokees. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War he was a planter in the parish of St. Johns. He was a member of the South Carolina Assembly of 1775 that voted to raise troops and join the sister colonies. He was appointed captain of a local troop and took the field vigorously against the Tories of his state. He was an active participator in the defense of Charleston in 1776 and commanded a regiment during the unsuccessful attack on Savannah in 1779. The successful invasion of the state by the British drove Marion into the forests and swamps. He gathered a band of hardy fellows about him who knew the morasses and fords well. He carried on a partisan warfare. He would sally out and attack the British and then regain cover before they were sufficiently recovered from their astonishment to pursue him. Tarleton, the British commander of cavalry, whom Marion led many an unsuccessful chase, called him "The Swamp Fox." An excellent idea of the life led by Marion and his men may be had from Simm's Tales, particularly The Partisan. Marion was present at Eutaw Springs, and, as might be expected, was in the forefront of the battle. At the close of the war, notwithstanding the fact that he had burned many a Tory country residence, he favored a conciliatory policy. He served in the Senate of his state and was a member of the convention that formed a state constitution. He was a slight, active, wiry man, free from petty hatreds and prejudice. He was a favorite with his neighbors and is regarded as one of the heroic figures of the Revolutionary War. See Sumter