The ‘Swamp Fox’ Who Put the British Lion on the Run and Changed War for a Century |
A quarter of a millennium ago, a “Swamp Fox” and his rag-tag group of compatriots put the lion of the British Empire on the run—and changed how wars were fought on the North American continent for a century.
This Swamp Fox was Francis Marion. Marion was born in Berkeley County, South Carolina, during the 1730s. The South Carolinian, like many in the area, was the descendant of Huguenots—French Protestants forced out of their country after they lost the right to practice their religion.
Although Marion’s war-fighting experience predated the American Revolution—he was a veteran of the French and Indian War—Marion earned his nickname and his notoriety for his service in the American Revolution.
After the fall of Charleston to the British in May of 1780, Marion would become a principal leader of the resistance in South Carolina. The disastrous surrender essentially left the colony in the hands of the British.
In the name of reclaiming South Carolina for the Americans, Marion would pioneer a style of guerrilla warfare
He galvanized and organized groups of rag-tag part-time soldiers to destroy British boats and disrupt British supply lines.
Marion’s war against British and loyalist forces would play a major role in keeping the revolution alive in South Carolina.
However, his........