Once, while visiting Charleston, South Carolina, I had lunch at the stately Francis Marion Hotel. I knew Marion was a Revolutionary War hero and, with all the recent interest concerning the 250th anniversary of that conflict, I decided to learn some facts about the man who was known as the “Swamp Fox.”
I have always found reading history to be fascinating and this time was no exception. I quickly learned that if it were not for a decree issued in 1685 by the famous French king, Louis XIV, the Marion family might never have ever been in the United States. France had a large population of Protestants known as the Huguenots who, thanks to the Treaty of Nantes, were allowed to worship in their own way. However, as mentioned above, Louis XIV outlawed Protestantism in the Edict of Fontainebleau. The Huguenots had to either convert to Catholicism or flee France which thousands of them proceeded to do. A large contingent headed to England and, over the succeeding years, many, such as Marion’s ancestors, were recruited to move to the new colonies in North America.
The Huguenot recruits settled throughout the colonies from Massachusetts, where Paul Revere’s ancestors settled, to Tidewater Virginia and the Carolinas. George Washington’s maternal grandmother was of Huguenot stock. Francis Marion’s relations put down their roots in South Carolina and prospered. His father had a plantation with many slaves.
Francis Marion was born in 1732 and, at the age of 15, he signed up as a sailor on a ship travelling to the Caribbean. On the return trip the vessel sank and Marion and a few others spent a week in a lifeboat before they reached shore again. After that adventure, Marion returned to his father’s plantation and eventually assumed ownership of it. Just prior to his 25th birthday in 1757, Marion was recruited into the South Carolina militia to fight in the French and Indian War. He was impressed at how the Native Americans would conceal themselves and utilize surprise attacks during the battles and he would one day employ similar methods in his attacks on the British.
As the Revolutionary War began, Marion, now in his forties, joined the Continental Army’s South Carolina 2nd Regiment as a captain. He would eventually be promoted to the rank of brigadier general. During the war, the British high command had decided to focus their efforts on pacifying the southern colonies. They conquered Georgia and then moved against South Carolina. Marion, whose regiment was quartered in Charleston, had broken his ankle in an accident and had left the city to recuperate. Thus, he was not present when the town surrendered to the British. While still hobbling on his injured foot, Marion organized a group of between 20 and 70 men and began the guerilla warfare tactics against the British that would make him famous.
Marion’s Men (as they were called) served without pay, provided their own ammunition and horses and found their own food. For a little over two years, they confronted the British in a series of battles that featured lightning quick attacks and withdrawals. They had a reputation for being cruel to loyalists and slaves who were cooperating with the British. They were so disruptive to the royal army that the British gave a special commission to Colonel Banastre Tarleton to capture Marion. After unsuccessfully chasing Marion through 26 miles of swamp land, Tarleton, in his written report, called Marion a fox aligned with the devil. Marion forever since has been known as the “Swamp Fox.”
Even though the war had ended with the battle of Yorktown in 1781, the British did not evacuate Charleston until the end of 1782 when Marion was finally able to return to his plantation. It had been destroyed during the war and 10 house slaves remained on the premises. Marion managed to rebuild it to its former state. He served in the South Carolina Senate and was made commander of Fort Johnson. He died on his plantation in 1795 at the age of 63.
Marion was a master of irregular warfare and there is no doubt his tactics were often brutal against not only British sympathizers but also against freed slaves. But it must be remembered that he and his small group of raiders were the sole force preventing the British from solidifying their control of South Carolina. The number of troops and the amount of energy the British expended fighting him split up and weakened their forces which eventually led to their defeat at Yorktown. In the long run, Marion had indeed outfoxed them.
Richard Szlosek lives in Northampton.