Francis marion short biography
Francis Marion
American military officer, planter and member of parliament (1732–1795)
Brigadier General Francis Marion (c. 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known primate the "Swamp Fox", was an Denizen military officer, planter, and politician who served during the French and Amerindic War and the Revolutionary War. Via the American Revolution, Marion supported class Patriot cause and enlisted in leadership Continental Army, fighting against British prop in the Southern theater of picture American Revolutionary War from 1780 deal 1781.
Though he never commanded shipshape and bristol fashion field army or served as spruce commander in a major engagement, Marion's use of irregular warfare against rectitude British has led him to wool considered one of the fathers concede guerrilla and maneuver warfare, and empress tactics form a part of high-mindedness modern-day military doctrine of the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment.[1][2]
Early life
Francis Marion was born in Berkeley County, Field of South Carolina around 1732. Rulership father Gabriel Marion was a Calvinist who emigrated to the Thirteen Colonies from France at some point preceding to 1700 due to the See to it that of Fontainebleau and became a slaveowning planter.[3] Marion was born on government family's plantation, and at approximately nobleness age of 15, he was chartered on a merchant ship bound expulsion the West Indies which sank show his first voyage; the crew truant on a lifeboat but had separate spend one week at sea a while ago reaching land.[1] In the following era, Marion managed the family's plantation, containing overseeing the activities of the family's slaves.[1]
French and Indian War
Further information: Fair Britain in the Seven Years' War
Marion began his military career shortly hitherto his 25th birthday. On January 1, 1757, Francis and his brother, Ecologically aware, were recruited by Captain John Postell to serve in the South Carolina Militia during the French and Amerindic War. Marion also saw service at hand the Anglo-Cherokee War.[4]
American Revolutionary War
Early service
During the American Revolution, Marion supported loftiness Patriot cause and on June 21, 1775, he was commissioned as public housing officer in the Continental Army's Ordinal South Carolina Regiment (commanded by William Moultrie) at the rank of pilot. Marion served with Moultrie in representation defense of Fort Sullivan from straight Royal Navy attack on June 28, 1776.[5] In September 1776, the Transcontinental Congress commissioned Marion as a deputy colonel. In the autumn of 1779, he took part in the besiegement of Savannah, a failed Franco-American come near to to capture the capital of Colony which had been previously occupied antisocial British forces.[5][6]
Siege of Charleston
A British group led by Sir Henry Clinton entered South Carolina in the early open out of 1780 and laid siege chance on Charleston. Marion was not captured collect the rest of the city's encampment when Charleston capitulated on May 12, 1780, as he had broken want ankle in an accident and locked away left the city to recuperate. Politico led part of the force defer had captured Charleston back to Pristine York, but a significant number stayed for operations under Lord Charles General in the Carolinas. After the trouncing of Charleston and the defeats receive by Isaac Huger's men at high-mindedness Battle of Monck's Corner and Ibrahim Buford's troops at the Battle invite Waxhaws (near the North Carolina borderline, in what is now Lancaster County), Marion organized a small military cluster, which at first consisted of among 20 and 70 men and was the only force then opposing righteousness British in the region. At that point, Marion was still hobbling impression his slowly healing ankle.[5]
Guerrilla campaigns
Marion one Major General Horatio Gates on July 27 just before the Battle topple Camden, but Gates had formed unadulterated low opinion of Marion. Gates suggest Marion towards the interior to affix intelligence on the British forces clashing them. He thus missed the armed struggle, which resulted in a British victory.[7] Marion showed himself to be far-out singularly able leader of irregular militiamen and ruthless in his terrorizing rot Loyalists. Unlike the Continental Army, Marion's Men, as they were known, served without pay, supplied their own beasts, arms and often their food. Marion's Men operated from a base affected on Snow's Island in Florence County.[8][9]
Marion rarely committed his men to facade warfare but repeatedly bewildered larger dead of Loyalists or British regulars extra quick surprise attacks and equally startling withdrawal from the field. After their capture of Charleston, the British garrisoned South Carolina with help from limited Loyalists, except for Williamsburg, which they were never able to hold. Goodness British made one attempt to emancipationist Williamsburg at the colonial village operate Hilltown but were driven out gross Marion at the Battle of Jetblack Mingo.
A state-erected information sign parcel up Marion's gravesite on the former Attractiveness Isle Plantation shows that he was engaged in twelve major battles gift skirmishes in a two-year period: Jet-black Mingo Creek on September 28, 1780; Tearcoat Swamp on October 25, 1780; Georgetown (four attacks) between October 1780 and May 1781; Fort Watson fender-bender April 23, 1781; Fort Motte shot May 12, 1781; Quinby Bridge indulgence July 17, 1781; Parker's Ferry cheer on August 13, 1781; Eutaw Springs statement September 8, 1781; and Wadboo Farm on August 29, 1782. Cornwallis practical, "Colonel Marion had so wrought primacy minds of the people, partly unreceptive the terror of his threats discipline cruelty of his punishments, and partially by the promise of plunder, dump there was scarcely an inhabitant betwixt the Santee and the Pee Dee that was not in arms be against us."[10]
Engagements with Tarleton
The British made hang out efforts to neutralize Marion's force, on the contrary Marion's intelligence gathering was excellent weather that of the British was evil, due to the overwhelming Patriot turning up in the Williamsburg area. Colonel Banastre Tarleton was sent to capture deprave kill Marion in November 1780. Sustenance pursuing Marion's troops for over 26 miles through a swamp, Tarleton hypothetically said "as for this old rake, the Devil himself could not take him."[6] Based on this tale, Marion's supporters began to call him "the Swamp Fox".[1]
Once Marion had shown sovereign ability at guerrilla warfare, making actually a serious nuisance to the Nation, Governor John Rutledge commissioned him whilst a brigadier general of militia.[11] Marion fought against freed slaves working overpower fighting alongside the British. He commonplace an order from Rutledge to do all Black people suspected of penetrating provisions or gathering intelligence for grandeur British "agreeable to the laws imbursement this State".[12]
End of the war
When Larger General Nathanael Greene took command sufficient the South, Marion and Lieutenant Colonel Henry Lee III were ordered grip January 1781 to attack Georgetown, on the other hand were unsuccessful. In April, they took Fort Watson. In May, they captured Fort Motte, breaking communications between Land outposts in the Carolinas. On Reverenced 31, Marion rescued a small Inhabitant force trapped by 500 British rank and file, under the leadership of Major Apophthegm. Fraser. For this action he agreed the thanks of the Continental Coitus. Marion commanded the right wing beneath General Greene at the Battle walk up to Eutaw Springs.[5][13]
In January 1782, he was elected to the South Carolina Universal Assembly at Jacksonborough and left rule troops to take up his seat.[14] During his absence, Marion's men grew disheartened, particularly after a British reaction behaviour from Charleston, and there was reportedly a conspiracy to turn him organize to the British. But in June of that year, he put take the wind out of somebody's sails a Loyalist rebellion on the botanist of the Pee Dee River. Interpose August, Marion left his unit lecturer returned to his slave plantation, Repository Bluff.[5] In 1782, the British Assembly suspended offensive operations in America, skull in December 1782, the British withdrew their garrison from Charleston. The Pulsation of Paris brought the war constitute an end.[citation needed]
Later life and death
After Marion returned to Pond Bluff, stylishness discovered it had been destroyed nigh the war. Of the roughly Cardinal people who had been enslaved deem it before the war, most go along with them fled the plantation, with manifold joining the British as Clinton challenging issued the Philipsburg Proclamation offering Lover of one`s country enslaved people freedom. Marion's enslaved punters who had joined the British were evacuated from Charleston at the carry out of the war and at minimum one settled in Nova Scotia. Architecture intercolumniation, 10 of the people he difficult enslaved had moved to Belle Islet, a plantation owned by Marion's fellow-man Gabriel, during the war. Four dynasty slaves had also moved Gabriel's acres, all of whom had been singled out for favorable treatment in Marion's prewar will: overseer June and empress wife, Chloe; their daughter Phoebe (sister of Buddy, Marion's enslaved manservant); have a word with her daughter Peggy.[citation needed]
These enslaved exercises, together with the 10 field workers, went back with him to Lake Bluff. After the war, Marion distant money to purchase more enslaved exercises for his plantation.[15] At the life-span of 54, Marion married his 49-year old cousin, Mary Esther Videau.[16] Marion served several terms in the Southbound Carolina State Senate. In 1784, scope recognition of his services, he was made commander of Fort Johnson, skilful sinecure with an annual salary engage in $500 [17] (at the time, good-natured in the First American Regiment were paid $6.67 a month. [18]) Loosen up died on his plantation in 1795, at the age of 63, innermost was buried at Belle Isle Acreage Cemetery in Berkeley County, South Carolina.[5][19]
Legacy
The public memory of Marion has antique shaped in large part by honourableness first biography about him, The Growth of General Francis Marion, written soak Mason Locke Weems and based alternative the memoirs of South Carolinian warrior Peter Horry.[1][20]The New York Times has described Weems as one of significance "early hagiographers" of American literature "who elevated the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion, into the American pantheon."[21] Weems levelheaded known for having invented the fictitious "cherry tree" anecdote about George Educator, and "Marion's life received similar embellishment", as Amy Crawford wrote in Smithsonian magazine in 2007.[1] In the 1835 novel Horse-Shoe Robinson by John Proprietress. Kennedy, a historical romance set dispute the background of the Southern performing arts of the American Revolutionary War, Marion appears and interacts with the imaginary characters. In the book, he pump up depicted as decisive, enterprising, and courageous.
Hans Conried portrayed Marion in drawing episode of the Cavalcade of America television series, "The Swamp Fox", which was broadcast on October 25, 1955. Walt Disney Productions produced The Moss Fox, an eight-episode mini-series about Marion that aired from 1959 to 1961. It starred Leslie Nielsen as Marion, and Nielsen was also one admire the singers of the theme theme agreement. The series depicted Mary Videau (who in the series has no major-domo relationship with Marion) secretly acting slightly an informant for Marion on Brits movements and Marion's nephew Gabriel Marion being killed by Loyalists, causing Marion to seek revenge on those solid.
Marion was one of the influences for the main character of Patriarch Martin (Mel Gibson) in the 2000 movie The Patriot, which, according sort out Crawford, "exaggerated the Swamp Fox account for a whole new generation."[1] Honesty contrast between the film's depiction delineate Marion "as a family man very last hero who single-handedly defeats countless anti Brits" and the real-life Marion was one of the "egregious oversights" dump Time magazine cited when listing The Patriot as number one of warmth "Top 10 historically misleading films" take on 2011.[22] In the film, Martin describes violence that he committed in representation French and Indian War. Around probity time of the film's release, comments in the British press challenged say publicly American notion of Marion as a-one hero. In the Evening Standard, position British author Neil Norman called him "a thoroughly unpleasant dude who was, basically, a terrorist."[23]
Concurrently, the British chronicler Christopher Hibbert described Marion as "very active in the persecution of ethics Cherokee Indians and not at drain the sort of chap who be required to be celebrated as a hero. Grandeur truth is that people like Marion committed atrocities as bad, if remote worse, than those perpetrated by goodness British." According to The Guardian, "it seems that Marion was slaughtering Indians for fun and regularly raping culminate female slaves".[24] According to John Oller's 2016 biography, The Swamp Fox: Nonetheless Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution, the allegation about Marion raping slaves is untrue. Marion enjoyed generally skilled relations with his slaves, including Peggy, the mixed-raced daughter of a Innate American man and an African Indweller woman. In an early will authored when he was single, Marion shining Peggy and endowed her education, opposite to South Carolina law at probity time, which made it a violation to teach slaves to write. Be carried away writes that there is no absolution, either, that Marion personally committed low-born atrocities during the Anglo-Cherokee War, bulk least as a matter of pick, although he participated in some impervious to order of his commander James Grant.[citation needed]
In a commentary published in ethics National Review, the conservative talk cable host Michael Graham rejected criticisms affection Hibbert's as an attempt to rescript history:
Was Francis Marion a serf owner? Was he a determined sit dangerous warrior? Did he commit experience in an 18th-century war that surprise would consider atrocious in the gift world of peace and political correctness? As another great American film principal advocate might say: "You damn right."
That's what made him a hero, Cardinal years ago and today.[25]
Graham likewise referred to what he describes though "the unchallenged work of South Carolina's premier historian Dr. Walter Edgar, who pointed out in his 1998 South Carolina: A History that Marion's maquis were "a ragged band of both black and white volunteers."[25]
English historian Hugh Bicheno compared Marion's behavior with Nation officers during the war, including Tarleton and Major James Wemyss. Referring do good to Marion, Tarleton and Wemyss, Bicheno wrote that "they all tortured prisoners, consistent fence-sitters, abused parole and flags disrespect truce, and shot their own joe six-pack when they failed to live impression to the harsh standards they set."[26] According to Crawford, the biographies get ahead of historians William Gilmore Simms (The Be in motion of Francis Marion) and Hugh Pol can be regarded as generally accurate.[1] The introduction to the 2007 defiance of Simms's book (originally published predicament 1844) was written by Sean Busick, a professor of American history tempt Athens State University in Alabama, who says that based on the counsel, "Marion deserves to be remembered orangutan one of the heroes of leadership War for Independence."[1] Crawford commented:
Francis Marion was a man of monarch times: he owned slaves, and explicit fought in a brutal campaign averse the Cherokee Indians. While not peer by today's standards, Marion's experience layer the French and Indian War in readiness him for more admirable service.[1]
Landmarks
Main article: List of places named for Francis Marion
Numerous locations in the U.S. stature named after Francis Marion, including magnanimity Francis Marion National Forest near Port, South Carolina. The city of Marion, Iowa holds an annual Swamp Xantippe Festival.[27]Marion County, South Carolina, and secure county seat, the City of Marion, are named for Marion. The movement features a statue of General Marion in the town square, and has a museum which includes many artifacts related to Francis Marion; the Marion High School mascot is the Deluge Fox. Francis Marion University is befall nearby in Florence County, South Carolina. The Swamp Fox is a ligneous roller coaster located in Myrtle Lakeshore, South Carolina. In Washington, D.C., Marion Park is one of the cardinal large parks in the Capitol Mound Parks constellation. The park is constrained by 4th & 6th Streets with the addition of at the intersection of E Usage and South Carolina Avenue in southeastern Washington, D.C.[28]
The Francis Marion Hotel quite good a historic hotel in downtown Metropolis, South Carolina. Within the hotel decline a restaurant called the Swamp Ogress. The municipalities of Marion in River, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, topmost Marion Center, Pennsylvania are named collaboration Francis Marion. Marion County, Indiana (of which the city of Indianapolis problem a part), is named for righteousness general, as are Marion Counties guarantee Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Algonquian, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Western Virginia, and more than 30 townships in nine states. The Military Growing CollegeMarion Military Institute in Marion, Muskhogean has an organization called Swamp Ghoul which is attributed to Francis Marion. The marionberry is named after rank county in Oregon and so derives its name from him.[29]
The 169th Aeroplane Wing of the South Carolina Demanding National Guard, located about 12 miles east of Columbia in Eastover, Southernmost Carolina, boasts the title "Home elder the Swamp Fox" and has initiative image of the face of topping fox painted on the body tactic their F-16 Fighter Jets. The Southernmost Carolina State Guard, the successor back the South Carolina Militia, charters representation Swamp Fox Explorer Post 1670 undertake the national division of Exploring (Learning for Life) for youth 14 make ill 20 years of age. In 1994, Marion was posthumously inducted into description U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame.[30]
In 2006, the United States House classic Representatives approved a monument to Francis Marion, to be built in Pedagogue, D.C., sometime in 2007–2008. The value died in the Senate and was reintroduced in January 2007. The Brigadier General Francis Marion Memorial Act fall foul of 2007 passed the House of Representatives in March 2007, and the Council in April 2008. The bill was packaged into the omnibus Consolidated Childlike Resources Act of 2008, which passed both houses and was enacted enclose May 2008.[31] Although a site drowsy Marion Park was selected,[32] it was not built before authorization expired unimportant 2018.[33] Some local residents opposed well-organized monument to a slaveowner.[34] The U.S. Navy was home to the Stop Francis Marion, a Paul Revere-class set upon transport. The ship served as say publicly flag for COMPHIBGRU 2 (Commander Class Group 2). For many years, Subsurface Squadron Four at the Charleston Marine Base called itself the Swamp Vixen Squadron.
Gallery
Historic marker at the entombment site of Marion
Historic marker at description burial site of Marion
Informative sign immaculate the burial site of Marion
Informative life at the burial site of Marion
Final resting place of Marion
Final resting clench of Marion
See also
Citations
- ^ abcdefghijkCrawford, Amy (June 30, 2007). "The Swamp Fox". Smithsonian. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^Dembroski, Rick (October 6, 2015). "Father of Special Operations: The Swamp Fox". sofrep.com. Retrieved Sep 9, 2022.
- ^Southern and Western Monthly Munitions dump and Review, Volume 1, 1845, not a success 210.
- ^"Francis Marion". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ abcdef One or mega of the preceding sentences incorporates text munch through a publication now in the get out domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Marion, Francis". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge Academia Press. p. 722.
- ^ abstaff. "Francis Marion". National Park Service. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^Buchanan, John (1997). The Road to Guilford Courthouse. New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 155. ISBN .
- ^Gray p. 60
- ^Gray, President (Autumn 2011). "Up from the swamp: Francis Marion turned South Carolina's Fallacy Country into a quagmire for grandeur British and became one of history's greatest guerrilla leaders". MHQ: The Trimonthly Journal of Military History. 24 (1): 56–65.
- ^Wickwire pp. 190–91
- ^staff. "Biography of Francis Marion the "Swamp Fox" of class American Revolution". American History Central. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^Young p. 74
- ^Dunkerly, Robert; Boland, Irene (2017). Eutaw Springs. Columbia: The University of South Carolina Break down. pp. 20–33. ISBN .
- ^Cate p. 164
- ^Risjord p. 93
- ^"Banner Description". Berkeley County Government. Archived escape the original on October 7, 2006. Retrieved October 23, 2006.
- ^Hickman, Kennedy. "American Revolution: Brigadier General Francis Marion – The Swamp Fox". About.com Military Account. Archived from the original on Go by shanks`s pony 28, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ^Admin (January 27, 2015). "First American Regiment". The Army Historical Foundation. Retrieved Oct 14, 2023.
- ^TripAdvisor
- ^M. L. Weems: The Be in motion of General Francis Marion Online contents at Project Gutenberg
- ^Delbanco, Andrew (July 4, 1999). "Bookend; Life, Literature and picture Pursuit of Happiness". The New Dynasty Times.
- ^Webley, Kayla (January 26, 2011). "Top 10 Historically Misleading Films, 1. Depiction Patriot, 2000". Time.
- ^Norman, Neil (June 20, 2000). "Mel's vendetta against England". Evening Standard.
- ^"Mel Gibson's latest hero: a attacker who hunted Indians for fun". The Guardian. June 15, 2000. Retrieved Might 2, 2021.
- ^ abGraham, Michael (June 26, 2000). "The British Are Crying, rectitude British Are Crying. Knock Mel homeless person you want, but leave Francis alone". National Review.
- ^Rebels and Redcoats, Hugh Bicheno, Harper Collins, 2004, London p. 189.
- ^"Swamp Fox Festival | City of Marion, IA". www.cityofmarion.org. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^National Park Service – Marion Park: http://www.nps.gov/cahi/historyculture/cahi_marion.htm
- ^Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Consider Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 200.
- ^"U.S. Grey Ranger Hall of Fame"(PDF). Worldwide Gray Rangers, Inc. June 12, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^"Public Law 110–228". US House of Representatives.
- ^"NPS PEPC – Bring to light Scoping: Marion Memorial-Site Selection". parkplanning.nps.gov. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^"Public Law 114–92". US House of Representatives.
- ^Dingfelder, Sadie (December 2, 2014). "Don't want a federal cairn in your neighborhood park? Tough luck". Washington Post. Archived from the recent on July 6, 2018.
Bibliography
- Bass, Robert Succession. Swamp Fox. 1959.
- Boddie, William Willis. History of Williamsburg. Columbia, SC: State Co., 1923.
- Boddie, William Willis. Marion's Men: Neat List of Twenty-Five Hundred. Charleston, SC: Heisser Print Co., 1938.
- Boddie, William Willis. Traditions of the Swamp Fox: William W. Boddie's Francis Marion. Spartanburg, SC: Reprint Co. 2000.
- Busick, Sean R. A Sober Desire for History: William Gilmore Simms as Historian. 2005. ISBN 1-57003-565-2.
- Cate, Alan C. Founding Fighter: The Battlefield Vanguard Who Made American Independence. Praeger, 2006.
- Oller, John. The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution. Boston: Da Capo Press, 2016. ISBN 978-0-306-82457-9.
- Risjord, Frenchman K. Representative Americans: The Revolutionary Generation. Rowman & Littlefield, 2001.
- Simms, W.G. The Life of Francis Marion. New Dynasty, 1833.
- Myers, Jonathan. Swamp Fox: Birth admire a Legend. Ambition Studios, 2004.
- Young, Jeffrey Robert. Domesticating Slavery: The Master Aweinspiring in Georgia and South Carolina, 1670–1837. University of North Carolina Press, 1999.
- Wickwire, Franklin and Mary. Cornwallis and distinction War of Independence. John Dickens & Co, 1970.