Description
For the Love of Liberty
Francis Marion was born on the family plantation in Berkeley County, South Carolina in 1732. It was said of him, “Although as a child he was extremely delicate, he grew strong after his twelfth year. In his mature years he was short and slight in frame, but strong and hardy in constitution.”
At the age of 15, he went to sea but was subsequently shipwrecked and spent a week drifting at sea in a lifeboat. Following that ordeal, he returned home to manage the family estate.
Shortly before his twenty-fifth birthday in 1759, he joined the British army for service in the French and Indian War. He fought against the Cherokee and learned of their ways in battle. Then, June 1775, he enlisted in the cause of the American Revolution, quickly working his way up through the ranks.
With the defeat of regular army forces by the British in South Carolina, Marion organized a small force of 20-70 men, armed and supplied them, and began to engage in guerilla attacks against British and Tory forces.
After one grueling chase when the ruthless British officer, Banastre Tarleton, had chased Marion and his men for seven hours through twenty-six miles of rough country before disappearing into a swamp, Tarleton is reported to have said, “the Devil himself could not catch this damned old fox.” The comment was reportedly caught up by the locals and Marion became known as the Swamp Fox.
One Smithsonian writer said of Marion as a fighter,
“Because the British never knew where Marion was or where he might strike, they had to divide their forces, weakening them. By needling the enemy and inspiring patriotism among the locals, [Professor Sean] Busick says, Marion “helped make South Carolina an inhospitable place for the British. Marion and his followers played the role of David to the British Goliath.”
Marion proved himself invaluable to the American Revolution. History would remember him as “The Washington of the South,” a man of ruthless determination yet humane character, motivated by what his peers called ‘the purest patriotism.’”
There is one moment in the life of Marion that should be remembered. In 1781, Marion and his men lived in the swamps and lived off the land to survive. According to a soldier named Samuel Weaver, a British officer who came into Marion’s camp to discuss the exchange of prisoners. After negotiations, Marion invited the officer to stay and partake of breakfast, whereupon Marion served up sweet potatoes out of the fire, “wiped the ashes off with a dirty handkerchief, [and] placed them on a pine log (which was all the provision they had).”
According to the popularized telling of the moment, the British officer said,
“Is this all you have for dinner?”
“This is all,” answered General Marion, “and we thought ourselves fortunate in having more potatoes than usual, when we had a visitor to dine with us.”
“You must have good pay to make up for such living,” said the officer.
“On the contrary,” answered Marion, “I have never received a dollar, nor has one of my men.”
“What on earth are you fighting for?”
“For the love of liberty.”
It is reported that the British officer, returned and resigned his commission, refusing to fight against such men “who ate roots cooked in a fire and drank nothing but water from the swamp.”
Though the story may be somewhat romanticized, it is based in sworn fact. Sufficient credence was given to the story that the scene was later captured by an artist who knew General Marion. That painting now hangs in the United States Capitol building.
I share this story to illustrate a principle and ask this question: Out of the ‘purest patriotism’ what sacrifices are we willing to make to save our American Republic and the God-given gift of freedom?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Marion
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-swamp-fox-157330429/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Marion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Marion
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-swamp-fox-157330429/
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CDOC-107sdoc11/pdf/GPO-CDOC-107sdoc11-2-83.pdf
https://www.heritage-history.com/index.php?c=read&author=pratt&book=ahs2&story=fox see also, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CDOC-107sdoc11/pdf/GPO-CDOC-107sdoc11-2-83.pdf
https://clarendonmurals.com/marion-data-rev-war/
Copyright Glenn Rawson 2023
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