Swamp Fox History

November 1780 Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton of the British Army hunted a man by the name Francis Marion. Lt. Colonel Tarleton hunted this man for seven hours through the backwoods and swamps of South Caroline, eventually giving up and stated “As for this old, fox the devil himself could not catch him.” Francis Marion would forever be known as the Swamp Fox. Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion was an important figure in history especially military history because; he was the pioneer of guerilla tactics, was an important and influential leader in the South Carolina Militia, and his humble demeanor that labeled him and anti-hero. Francis Marion was born on his family’s plantation in Berkeley County, South Carolina in 1732. His parents He was the youngest of six children born to Gabriel and Esther Marion. As a young boy Francis enjoyed watching the ships sail in and out of Georgetown and especially enjoyed exploring the swamps and woods around his plantation home. He worked on his plantation farm with his dad learning how to tend the crops and support himself. When he was 15 years old he signed up to be a crewman on one of the ships setting sail out of Georgetown heading for the West Indies. Accustomed to the hard work on his family’s farm he was …show more content…
He would hit their supply and communication lines. By using these tactics it kept the British on their heels. They knew that the ghost or as he was referred to as the Swap Fox might be somewhere in the area. Another tactic that he would use was Francis Marion and his men would rest during the day and would attack at night. He would use the fires from the British as his beacon and would strike while the British were asleep and had their guard let