The Swamp Fox

This comprehensive biography of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, covers his famous wartime stories as well as a private side of him that has rarely been explored In the darkest days of the American Revolution, Francis Marion and his band of militia freedom fighters kept hope alive for the patriot cause during the critical British "southern campaign." Employing insurgent guerrilla tactics that became commonplace in later centuries, Marion and his brigade inflicted enemy losses that were individually small but cumulatively a large drain on British resources and morale. Although many will remember the stirring adventures of the "Swamp Fox" from the Walt Disney television series of the late 1950s and the fictionalized Marion character played by Mel Gibson in the 2000 film The Patriot, the real Francis Marion bore little resemblance to either of those caricatures. But his exploits were no less heroic as he succeeded, against all odds, in repeatedly foiling the highly trained, better-equipped forces arrayed against him. In this action-packed biography we meet many colorful characters from the Revolution: Banastre Tarleton, the British cavalry officer who relentlessly pursued Marion over twenty-six miles of swamp, only to call off the chase and declare (per legend) that "the Devil himself could not catch this damned old fox," giving Marion his famous nickname; Thomas Sumter, the bold but rash patriot militia leader whom Marion detested; Lord Cornwallis, the imperious British commander who ordered the hanging of rebels and the destruction of their plantations; "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, the urbane young Continental cavalryman who helped Marion topple critical British outposts in South Carolina; but most of all Francis Marion himself, "the Washington of the South," a man of ruthless determination yet humane character, motivated by what his peers called "the purest patriotism." In The Swamp Fox, the first major biography of Marion in more than forty years, John Oller compiles striking evidence and brings together much recent learning to provide a fresh look both at Marion, the man, and how he helped save the American Revolution.

A biography of Francis Marion, the American general who organized a guerrilla band to fight the British in South Carolina during the Revolution.

One of the most fascinating figures of the American Revolution, General Francis Marion slipped in and out of the Carolina swamps to strike sudden, devastating blows against the British. Cutting through the Swamp Fox legend, Robert D. Bass has arrived at a realistic and fascinating appraisal of this military genius with this 1959 literary work. “[A] close but spirited chronology of the raids and routs [General Francis Marion] led against the British. A humane man, a dedicated soldier with a devotion to duty and a worship of liberty, [he] was also a taciturn, moody and introverted character. With an intuitive sense of strategy, particularly that of the swift advance and the rapid retreat, he became a sound and savage fighter [...] rose from the ranks as an unknown captain to become a Brigadier General. Here, bivouac by bivouac, are the lashes and the sieges in which he engaged; the daring rescue of 150 Rebel prisoners from Sumter’s house; the bedevilment and the destruction of the British is small diversionary actions; and the indefatigable endurance of that gaunt, ill-kempt, gallant fighter who became a nemesis to Cornwallis and the entire British Army....”—Kirkus Review

Calls attention to Marion's military career and crucial role in the Revolution as a guerrilla leader in the South during the years 1780 and 81.

As one of the Patriot leaders in the Carolinas, the partisan campaign conducted by Brigadier General Francis Marion and his irregular force during the American Revolution prevented South Carolina from completely succumbing to British control during the period between the capture of Charleston in May 1780 and the start of Major General Nathanael Greene’s campaign to recover the Southern Colonies in December 1780. During substantial segments of this period he alone held eastern South Carolina from the British and became known as “The Swamp Fox” for his exploits and elusiveness in harassing the British with his guerilla tactics. Upon the arrival of Greene’s Continental Army of the Southern Department, Marion’s forces then reverted in part to an important supporting role in South Carolina for the duration of the war. He later assisted in the establishment of the authority of the State of South Carolina and contributed to its post-conflict termination. If General Marion had not taken action during the American Revolution, there is a good possibility that eastern South Carolina would have succumbed to British intent. That, coupled with the British occupation of Charleston, may have provided the British with the requisite momentum needed to conquer the South. Thankfully, General Marion’s call to action both militarily and politically prevented such momentum from existing. The multifaceted aspect of the American Revolution serves as an excellent case study for the conflicts of the twenty-first century: joint and combined operations, civil war, insurgency/counterinsurgency, global superpowers, civil-military relations, this conflict’s got it all! Many of Marion’s partisan actions were forerunners of today’s tactics, showing his great innovativeness and foresight as a military leader. His incessant activities diverted British and Loyalist forces, inflicted British and Loyalist casualties, supported operations of the Continental Army during its Southern Campaign, and sustained the American Revolution in South Carolina. He was extremely effective across the range of military operations, from guerilla warfare to storming forts. He was equally inept in what today would be considered information operations and even participating in the linear tactics of the day in pitched battles. Such similarity makes Marion’s partisan campaign worth study by current military and political leaders. Aiken’s portrayal of Brigadier General Marion’s partisan actions describes the forerunners of tactics common of today’s global security environment, tactics used by, and against, United States forces.

Presents a fictionalized account of the life of American military leader Francis Marion who led successful raids against the British troops during the Revolutionary War.

With the Swamp Fox: A Story of General Marion's Young Spies by James Otis is an exhilarating tale set during the Revolutionary War. Otis masterfully crafts a narrative that follows the daring missions of young spies under the leadership of General Marion, offering readers a thrilling blend of history and adventure.

"Swamp Fox: General Francis Marion and his Guerilla Fighters of the Revolutionary War" is the story of the American general who waged a guerrilla war against British forces commanded by General Tarleton, harassing them and eventually driving the British Army out of South Carolina. This book, written by one of Marion's his militia members, tells the story of the "Swamp Fox." Throughout the war, Marion showed himself to be a singularly able leader of his "irregular" soldiers. Unlike the Continental troops, Marion's Men served without pay, supplied their own horses, arms, and often their food. All of Marion's supplies that were not obtained locally were captured from the British forces. Marion rarely committed his men to frontal warfare, but repeatedly surprised larger bodies of British regulars with quick surprise attacks and equally quick withdrawal from the field. The British especially hated Marion and made repeated efforts to neutralize his force, but Marion's intelligence gathering was excellent and that of the British was poor, due to the overwhelming Patriot loyalty of the populace in the Williamsburg area. Col. Banastre Tarleton, sent to capture or kill Marion in November 1780, despaired of finding the "old swamp fox," who eluded him by travelling along swamp paths. Tarleton and Marion were sharply contrasted in the popular mind. Tarleton was hated because he burned and destroyed homes and supplies, whereas Marion's Men, when they requisitioned supplies (or destroyed them to keep them out of British hands) gave the owners receipts for them. This story of Marion's exploits, as told so vividly in "Swamp Fox," makes fascinating reading for anyone interested in guerrilla warfare or the American Revolutionary War.