| Show I j j J FRANCIS MARION TT 7 L T fo fox I IJ I t 1 Our band but tu truc tried r I Our leader frank and bold T The lt soldier e m r I When h is eold told O Our is the good greenwood enwood J Our tent the c r tree I I Wo know lenow the forest round uz us As AE sc seamen men know the tho sea a I We know Its walls wails of oC thorny vines I Its glades ot of reedy grass gras grasI Its Ita sate safe and silent Islands Within tho dark morass I I I 1 ell knows the fair and friendly moon Tho rho band that Marion leeds t he be gUtter glitter of their rifles The scamperIng of at their steeds I life lICo to guide Ide the fiery flery barb barbI tj t Across the moonlight plain I Tie life to feel the night wind windI I I That lifts hIs tossing mane man manA maneA f A moment In the British camp campA A awa awaI away I I Back to the tho pathless forest forestI I Before the tho poop peep of da dalit day dayI lit I I I Grove Grave men there are b by broad Santee W Grave Gravo men with hoa hoary hairs I i Their hearts are all with Marion Marlon J I I j For Maston Marlon are aro their prayers 1 I And lovely ladles ladIes greet our hand j WIth kindliest With smiles like t those or o summer I I I And tears like those thore or of spring For them We wear these trust trusty arms I I And lay them down no more I i I Till we 10 have hoo driven the Briton I Forever from our shore r rI I HEN Gen Horatio Gates took I t I I command or of tho hastily i formed army of oC the tho south and prepared to gIve gIo battle battlo I to the tho British under C In the tho Ij t i summer ot of there thero came Into hIs camp ono one day a as qU queer a l j I I ment as ever oer ho hall had seen It was f ii up or of 20 O men all ragged nil all oddly armed armell and captaIned b by a wee bit of n a man who limped bad badly owing i to a broken ankle anti and who wore a 11 i p jacket the tho remnant of oC a pall pair of trous I i f ers era and a leather cap On the tho front ot of ott I t r the cap was a crescent and on the tho thoI I I crescent nt was the tho motto Liberty or I I death Some of oC the tho men In the I I party were Iero old Somo were young youn I I I Somo Sarno had swords crudely made mado feena L I t saws Some hall had fowling pieces and I I some SOnIO had muskets It was os a a I I mallon lot but there was not a a man ma in inthe inthe the band who ho did not have a good I I horse j l The Tho militiamen of oC Virginia or of Delo Dela Delat t I I ware Waro and of oC MJ Maryland who formed the if i I f bulk of army could not help hep I but laugh at the recruIts so I i an appearance dId they make From Flon I laughter they turned to ridicule the I f newcomers Even Gen Gee Gatos was amused Had It lint been for Cor Got GO I f or of South Carolina who was 1 visIting the camp mp the lagred troop p pI fr I I would have hae been turned off offin II f In deference to the governors I F t once enco that the commander of the I I rl hedly garbed band was one ot of L I South Carolinas most patrIotic sons HOn 1 and an earnest and a good t t j Gen Con Gates gave gae on an audience to the I little leader er and listened indulgently f I to the Co foe modest suggestions he hall had to make mako regarding the coming cominS cam camS camj S Gate waS kindhearted good t j natured nd md keenly sed with his hi hit t r own high ability r r Ho He It was who had conquered Bur Burl Burgoyne l goyne o ne and now he was to crush Corn CornI I I wallis It was Incumbent upon hire him himL L i I In all politeness to listen but lie he dId not nott notI I r have to heed He was a traIned aol soI soIl t l dier and ho he knew so much more than the tho r captain that lie he probably I was glad when the interview was over I He did not see lice how lie he could conid use the I t i un uny captain or his tattered crew se selie o oI I r lIe did not offer to take tako them Into his I force I REJECTED I The rag ragged cd captaIn and hIs rag cd t band rode rodo out of oC Gen camp campI I bItter If IC not disgusted U t d They mIght t have forgiven the laugh Ler and the ther r f j ridicule but they thic could not forgive the he i roC refusal usa I of their services That hurt I I Poor Horatio Gates GaLosh In a few weeks hIs ann army was vas lit In disorderly flIght anil anilI I ails reputation as a military command commander I or er was vas ruined Cornwallis following 4 1 t up his success with an activity that I I was worth worthy or of a better cause soon lIoon f overran the whole country until the tho thoi I i only force foree heft leCt to uphold the t 4 tai tal use In the Carolinas was that or of the little captain and his ragged crew I LIttle did Gen Gates realize that Jul July 1 day In 1780 1750 that the of the grotesque band was ono one or of the re 1 l 1 soldIers or of the Revolutionary war And certainly ho did not t I that posterity would rank Francis Francisi d i i far Cor higher than Horatio Gates It W was lS a good thin thing for the I tv Continental arm army that Gates had hod no do de deI i I 1 Hire to use Marion arlon anti and his men for fort t t 1 I Marions real career ma may be said to toI have opened pe when vh he departed f from fromI I I B camp p To be sure ho had J plenty or of experience for he hi nad t L In three Indian campaIgns before the I r Revolutionary war and hall had led the tho for fori i I horn lorn hope In the battle of I J 1 where the power of the Cherokees was f r i broken Ho had been a captain under II in the deCease of Charleston In and had fired some somo of the shots l that riddled Ute the British fleet and won t f that remarkable engagement Ho had p t heen In command or of Fort Moultrie for fort t year eor or two and In In went from fromI I I there to take part In the desperate at t L k T to drive tho BrItish out or of Say if It conch annah I F I he would have blen p II In Iii the fall or of Charleston In the tue f any arly part had It not been for tor torI I t in n accident In the early d days s or of the tho 1 siege he was one or of half a guests I at tho thio homo home of oC a a prominent gentle gentie gentleman roan man manI I f 1 Tho IO host hOBt In a foolish endeavor to Pmt event his friends tram from leaving be bee beI I e the they had eaten and drank freel freely ted ed the front door Marion Marlon one o oI of I i most meat temperate ot of men rather t r ii 11 remain In a house under such jumped from a i ow nw He broke his ankle and was WaR ed to his plantation on a litter JItter lie Ie he was laid up U Gen Lincoln III i L i i il 1 1 l 1 4 k 4 r c z zb I 4 b r l f T 1 I 4 0 f T is isS S v 1 MARtON jo I surrendered Charleston For months after the tho surrender Marion Marlon had hod to bo be moved moed secretly from place to place to prevent hIs capture by the tho British but with the tho first appearance or of Gates In Inthe inthe the fiel field ho had limped out from his hiding piece ploce gathered as many of oC th the scattered patriots together as lie he could anI and had to offer his services to the general ON THE PEDEE Ho He was IM lii In the tho camp or of Gates when ho received an InvItation from the tho Whig his farmers or of the tho Williamsburg dis district district to bo their leader GoY Gov Rutledge at once gave gae a brigadiers commission to Marion Marlon and It was InS then at the ago of oC 48 that Marion Marlon began to show ls genius His fame rests largely on tradition tradition tion There was wall little written record kept in Marions band of what was done but It If there was nothing to refer referal to except c tho of Lord Corn Ww ii I Iton al and Rawdon and Colonels l rarie ton aIl and Watson that would be suf the British who gave the name nanie or of Swamp Fox to him No one gave mere trouble to thom them than dId Marion He was a will ot of tIre the wisp The They never seemed able to catch him himAt himAt At a time when the British thought they hall had all the countr country m n control ho hocut cut off art their supplies dispersed To Tory bands broke broko up recruiting bodies swooped down on the tho rear guards or orthe orthe the vanguards ot of the kIngs commands destroyed communications and kept tho English lii In turmoil In terror Sometime he had com fey tew men At other times he had OO or He was as able It seemed scented to disband or orI orto I to assemble his force Coree accor according to his hili needs Not only did he have to 10 fight the British regulars but the Tories No hero oliero In the whole count country was the tho of oC Tories so large as In South Carolina How Hov marvelously ac active live tive ho became ma may be appreciated from rom the tho fact that five months after aCter the defeat or of Gates Cornwallis wrote Col Coi Marion Marlon had so wrought on the tho minds of oC the people partly b by the ter terror terror of oC threats and cruelty ot of his punishments and partly b by the promise of oC plunder that there was scarcely an Inhabitant between the Santee and Pedee that was not In arms agaInst us Some parties had even een crossed tire tho Santee and carrIed terror to the gates of at Charleston MOSTLY DESERVED Certainly a flee fino tribute for Cor a general commanding nearly men to pay to a man whose force consisted ot of vol volunteers who served wIthout pay who went Into action frequently wIth only two or three rounds of oC ammunition who had seen reen no money for years yeara who rarely had meat and seldom had enough to eat who had to capture from the enem enemy most of oC the arms anns with which they fought and who were equally sue suc In skirmish pitched battle or siege But Cornwallis was wai unjust In hars harg log Ing Marion Marlon with being cruel He was wasas wasas as gentle as a woman There III Ia no rc r rord ord no story of nn any cruel act In all his life lie He was one or of tire the most moat merciful and one or of the most patient of oC men There helO was no lust or of bloOd about Fran FrancIs Francis cIs Marion In ninny many respects Ito he was wasa a pocket e edition or of Georgo Washington They Thoy were or of the sante age They were or of this samo calm tolerant mind They were uncompromisIng in the cause of truth arid stern only as to dut duty Both were tearless fearless as soldiers Both Were cool In danger watchful and circum sped But Francis brain worked quicker than did that ot of Gen Washington Marion farlon was marvelously dextrous and wonderfully resourceful Fighting In a count country rent by parti zan where Whigs and Tories pur pursued pursued sued each cach other like wid boosts boasts he fought so honestly and ond fairly that ho he hel held not only the affection of oC his tol fol followers lowers but the confidence of oC his en ens mica He never nover took prisoners Pos the chief reason was that he could not teed feed his own force He never dis disclosed closed his plans to anyone In advance He had no confidants His lieutenants never knew when they were to start on onan onan an expedition until the they saw potatoes being cooked In This they knett meant business s His men lived principally on potatoes A little lean beef occasionally was a l great treat No uno lived more simply simp than Marion HI favorIte drink was vinegar and water He atc ato sparingly at nil times and could stand almost any amount or of fatigue SNOW ISLAND No one knew tire the Pedee and Santee country better than did the lender leader of oC tire the Ragged brIgade Earl Early In tire the da days s of his leadership Ire he established head headquarters headquarters quarters at Snow Island a bit bt of land where Lynchs creek meets the tho Ped Pedee Swamps and forests ravines and tangled made this place an Ideal retreat for the chieftain amid his hla band From out ot of thIs stronghold th y sallied usually at night to range the countr country round First Marion had to battle with the Tor Tory bands that In Infested infested the district Then as his forces increaser Increased he extended the sphere or of his operations It was emily a foa fel days after he had learned or of the defeat of Gatts s that hal he Continental prisoners at Nelsons Ferry Fern after a alight light In which tIre the British lost 22 men It was wat soon after acter this that thal Tarleton tn tried d his hand at Marion force was twIce that of Marion arion and anel for forRon seven Ron days the Swamp Fox led the English Gre Greyhound hound ru as pretty a chase as ever the trooper had known Tarleton did not dare to spread out his force to any degree for fear flar Marion would cut ocr one wing and amid thou then the other Marion MarJon endeavored to lure Tarleton Into ground of oC liking and there light him Unable to catch Marion and unwilling to fight as Marion Marlon wanted to fight Tarleton gato up the case caseIN caseiN IN ACTION After tire the Tarleton affair Marion Morlon made an unsuccessful attempt to cap ture Georgetown Whatever dIsappoIntment disappointment he felt over his failure was WaR overbalanced b by the news he received a little later of oC tire the battle or of Kings Mountain and the appointment of Gen Greene to succeed Gen Gates Following iii success Corn Cornwallis wallis sent Col Watson out with a large force Coree to crush Marion Instead of crushing Marion Marion Morlon came with withIn In nn an ace of oC crushing Watson Vatson IIo Tb gave gae that man and Iris his followers such sucha a beating as the they never had before and the they fled front from him as the they would from a pestilence Marion lilo swooped down upon a force torce commanded b by Maj When the two bodice were about to tight fight made a proposItion such perhaps as had not been made mado In bat battle battie tie tle since the days dars of oC chivalry He or of offered to submit the issue to 20 0 men on each side aide It If the British Won the tho bat battle battie tie tle was to be a British victor victory It If the Americans It was to be an American vIctory Marion Marlon accepted tire tho challenge and selected his men Inen was wai slow In choosing his champions It was hate In tire the da and after the tho BrIt Erit BrItIsh Ish 20 O had taken position the they were ordered back to 10 tire the camp b by nn an The They return to tire the field to meet the tho Americans arid In the tho night tire the whole British force decamped For this retreat McIlraith practically practical was drum drummed med out of the British arm armA army A MEAL OF 01 POTATOES There Is a story told of oC a visit to Marions stronghold at Snow Island by bya a younG British officer from the tho corn com commandant mandant at that post The Tho young man was taken to the island lilland blindfolded lie Ho nover had seen leen Marion Marlon The Tho generals I Iho ho he know were portly Cornwallis was wa huge So were most or of the British and American general officers They aver averaged aged more than pounds Marions fame famo throughout the tho lowlands was so great that the young looked hooked for fora a man of oC towering figure His aston astonIshment was great Teat when he saw a man weighing less than pounds and was tol told this was Marion Marlon That so a J person and so gentle voiced and modest a man should command the or of not on only tire big powerful men he saw about him but should be beso beso so feared by the Tories and the Eng English lish amazed him After Acter Marion Marlon had read the letter the tho young oung man Inan brought anti hail had written an answer the tho visitor arose as If to de depart depart part Marion remarked that tire tho jour journe journey ne ney was a long lonE one and It Would bo be bowell bewell well to refresh himself before beCore starting Dinner was In preparation tire tho gen n oral eral announced The young ounE officer gladly accepted Marions calm dignity and utter lack or of military pretension charmed the officer r and ho he asked many questions Soon tire the thinner dinner was served ed Cd The one course was potatoes but was served In style For plates the negro servant had pieces of oC bark Marion apologized because he hall had |
