Term Paper on "Francis Marion the Swamp Fox"

Term Paper 9 pages (3523 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Swamp Fox

Throughout history in times of crisis, seemingly ordinary men and women with unusual talent and ability have come forward and responded to the need. The Revolutionary period in America's history is one such crisis when men with natural leadership ability and practical know-how rose as patriots to confront the enemy and establish independence from the King. General Francis Marion was a farmer who answered the call skillfully and daringly. I will argue here that his leadership ability sprang from the excellence of his character. Because of the patriots' lack of resources, money, supplies, and men, Marion developed guerilla "hit and run" tactics that were highly effective against the well-organized, more traditional British forces.

Francis Marion's grandparents were French Huguenots, Protestants that were persecuted and driven out of France because of their religion. They came to South Carolina in 1690. The youngest of six children, Francis was born into the family in 1732. There was apparently some doubt whether he would live past the age of six. He was so small he could be placed in a quart mug, and there was something wrong with the formation of his knees and ankles (Smith, 1976). Maybe he was born prematurely, and that is why he was so small; unfortunately, history does not say. But he was "frail and puny" (American Revolution web site) until he was twelve years old. At puberty, however, according to the same source, he overcame his physical problems, grew strong, and exhibited evidence of great energy.

We can only speculate that during the years when he was not as hardy or energetic as other boys, he must have been cared for tenderly, perhaps by his mother or older siblings, because he was said to have had an unusually sweet disposition and "an almost womanly delicacy" (American Revolution web site). "Womanly delicacy" implies a person sensitive to the feelings of others, one who can relate to people and bring out the best in them. Perhaps his frailty as a child also taught him patience, as those who wrote about him afterward all say he was unfailingly courteous, kind, and humane. These qualities helped him to establish cordial relationships with those who served under him. It is the mark of a true leader when those who work for him want to see him do well (and thus can be trusted to do their best whether their superior officer is present or not). That can only happen when people have respect and affection for their leader (Leadership qualities web site).

Like many boys in those days, he dreamed of going to sea. When he was sixteen years old, he hired onto a small ship with a crew of only six sailors, which was headed for the West Indies. The ship got into a wreck and sank. The six members of the crew were in a jolly-boat for a week with no food or water, and two of them died before a passing ship picked the others up. There is no mention that Marion ever wanted to go to sea again.

He came home and took up farming with his father. For a brief time he served under Col. William Moultrie during the Cherokee War. In 1759 when his father died, he became the owner of the family's small plantation, worked industriously, and lived there quietly. One of the marks of a leader is seen when onlookers respect that person. Marion's neighbors recognized him for his "integrity, ability, courage, and rare sweetness of disposition" (American Revolution web site).

A sweet disposition describes one who is not easily angered but instead remains level headed and steady during a crisis -- someone not easily ruffled or subject to panics or tantrums. This quality would certainly be a great asset in a leader because the people under him could trust him to react to events in a predictable manner. This is not to say that Marion never got angry; of course, he wasn't a saint. His friend Peter Horry, who served in the same regiment, reported that he saw Marion very angry once. It was following a disastrous expedition against Savannah, which in Marion's opinion was grossly mismanaged by allied commanders Lincoln and D'Estaing. If they only had moved more quickly, they could have prevented the British from getting the advantage over them because of their position. He said, "Great God! Who ever heard of anything like this before? First allow your enemy to intrench, and then fight him!" (American Revolution web site). Bungling that resulted in needless loss of life did anger him as it would most people. From this, we can also see that he probably already had formed definite ideas about how to win a war against the British. Traditional warfare was not the way because the patriots were so greatly outnumbered. Not long after that, Marion set up a training camp in which he taught the men how to wage guerrilla warfare.

Marion was a lieutenant-colonel in the Continental Army at that time. His had risen in rank very quickly. He was about 43 years old and had been elected to the South Carolina Provincial congress when the Revolution began in 1775. After the Battle of Lexington, the congress decided to raise 1,500 infantry (divided into two regiments) and 450 horses. Marion was made captain of the second regiment and served under Col. William Moultrie. Of him, Moultrie said later, "He was an active, brave, and hardy soldier; and an excellent partisan officer" (the Swamp Fox - General Francis Marion web site). Marion was quickly promoted to major after the bloodless capture of Fort Johnson in which he took part. He showed so much organizational skill that he was called "the architect of the second regiment" (American Revolution - Francis Marion web site). He played an important role in driving the British fleet from Charleston harbor and was promoted again, this time to lieutenant-colonel. He became brigadier-general and "undertook to harass the enemy in the northern and eastern districts of South Carolina. On 20 August he attacked two regiments of British regulars on their way from Camden to Charleston with 150 prisoners of the Maryland line; with a loss of only one man killed and one wounded, he threw the enemy into some disorder, killed and wounded twenty-seven of their number, and set free all the prisoners" (American Revolution web site).

As an officer Marion was known for his kindness to his men and for his perfect discipline. Part of his authority was in the equality he practiced. Although he was their commanding officer, he did not allow himself any special privileges and endured the same hardships his men did. Most of the time he slept on the ground without a blanket and ate very simple food. "Marion's ordinary diet was hominy and potatoes, and a favorite drink with him was water flavored with a few drops of vinegar" (American Revolution web site). Whatever hardships his men endured, he endured also. This must have increased their affection for him, knowing that he didn't hold himself above them in that respect. Several sources report that he had wonderful control over them (Tuchman, 1988; Commager & Morris, 1983; and Smith, 1976). To maintain such perfect command had to have required fairness on his part.

Perhaps the most important sign of a true leader is a willingness to stand alone when everybody else thinks differently (Leadership qualities web site). Marion must have had this moral quality because he did not allow burning houses, plundering, or violence toward women: "In his whole career no specific instance of rapacity or cruelty was ever alleged against him" (American Revolution web site). This was despite the awful brutality of the war that was engaged in by both sides. Lord Cornwallis himself had set the stage for brutality:

have given orders, that the inhabitants of the province, who have taken part in this revolt, should be punished with the greatest rigor; and also those who will not turn out, that they may be imprisoned, and their property taken from them, or destroyed. I have likewise ordered, that compensation be made out of their estates, to the persons who have been injured or oppressed by them. I have ordered, in the most positive manner, that every militia man who has borne arms with us, and afterwards joined the army, shall be immediately hanged. I desire you will take the most rigorous measures to punish the rebels in the district in which you command; and that you obey in the strictest manner the directions I have given in this letter, relative to the inhabitants of this country (Cornwalis cited in American Revolution web site).

Thus, the slaughter and brutality began with official British policy. The British soldiers plundered homes, burned down flour mills, and imprisoned civilians on lethal prison ships. In one case (Nelson's Ferry, 1780) Col. Banastre Tarleton burned down General Richardson's house, out houses, "corn and fodder, and a great part of the cattle, hogs… READ MORE

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