Francis Marion: Father Of The American Revolution

Revolutionary officer, Francis Marion was a commissioned officer in the South Carolina Second Regiment. Earning his nickname, “The Swamp Fox,” the general hid in the swamps to surprise attack the British troops. This is known as Guerilla Warfare, where he is credited as the Father of this tactic. General Marion lead the Patriots to victory in the American Revolution because of all his military tactics. He is a Revolutionary legend and credited for many victories as a military general in command. Francis Marion was born on his parents, Gabriel and Charlotte Marion, plantation in Berkley, South Carolina. He was born on February 26, 1732.2 The Marion family lived on the plantation in Berkley for five or six years and then moved to a plantation

Him and his men hid in the swamps and attacked the British troops under surprise. The militia, under Marion’s command, soon became feared and hated by the British. Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton was sent to find Marion and his men. After pursuing Colonel Francis Marion Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton said, “Come on boys! Let us go back for this damned old fox, the Devil himself could not catch him.”3 Because of Francis Marion’s tactics, the Lieutenant failed in his attempt to find the militia. Joining General gates in the Battle of Camden, Marion was in command of the Williamsburg Militia.3 The militia consisted of irregulars such as farmers, whites and blacks, free and slave, and Native Americans. It’s believed that this band of men was the first integrated fighting force in America. This militia never fought in head-on warfare. Instead, they defeated many larger enemy groups and had many victories using guerilla warfare. After the defeat at Camden, Marion led a series of raids against the British. The militia attacked British supply and communication lines and small concentrations of British or Loyalist

There he disagreed with commanding officers and with the rules and politics of professional soldiering. After the British surrendered in Charleston Francis Marion returned home to find his plantation had been burned down. He found himself a new home and received a $500 salary a year. He married at age fifty-four and ended up marrying his forty-nine-year-old cousin. After the war, Marion became apart of the South Carolina Senate. He tried to provide fair treatment for the remaining Loyalists. He was delegated to the state constitutional convention in 1790 and supported the new federal governing document. In 1795, Francis Marion died at age sixty-three on his plantation.1 After he died he was respected and admired for the independence he fought to secure for the nation. Due to Marion’s guerilla warfare tactics, the British could never defeat South Carolina. The militia won the battle at Kings Mountain and are credited with securing the American victory in the Revolutionary