The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1884-10-01
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MARION AND HIS MEN.

~ - balO Thu Marion OItcQ en-
samped at The Oaks, the owners,
the Middlotons, having been from tho
arst devoted patriots. And this brings
up again Marion and Marlon's men, q
little band who probably never
dreamed that they were to go down on
the page Of history embalmed in poetry
and romance and song, figures strong
In local South Carolina coloring, and
ret known all over the country almost
as widely as George Washington him
sen. Gen. Francis Marion, who, as
the angry and harassed British Of
deer complained, ""would not fight
like q Christian and a gentleman"
belonged to the Huguenot colony
OF the Santee, north Of Charleston, the
same Santee that owned those High
Hills. On tho formation Of the Revo-
lutionary Army Of Carolina Marion
VA made a Captain in the regiment
commanded by Moultrie; he rose to
. Colonelcy before the evacuation of
Charleston, and, escaping the fate of
prisoner OF war which FELL to Moultrie
and many other officers, he collected
the fragments OF his regiment together
In the recesses Of the swamps and
nom that moment became q dread to
the whole British Army in the South.
Marion made war In his own way;
now here. and now there; now seen,
now gone, he was like a meteor in the
nights and the successes gained by his
extraordinary swiftness and daring
seemed marvellous alike to friend
And fNn He ca1ookoI or,p MAN. e.
BIS band, generally from his own
aeighbors OF French descent; he lived
N tho swamps; he swan rivers on
horseback; his favorite encampment
,was a cane-hrake. He did not wait
Tor oil his troops, but sailed out fire.
quently with only ten or twelve; he
took saws from the saw mills, and
turned them into swords; he frequent
ly engaged when he had but three
rounds to a man Scouts were kept
out constantly, and when word was
brought in Of a small party Of tho
enemy anyw here, then forth went
Aarion's men, like lightning after
theGe. 1t was said that he was 80 Sc
crea IN his plans that his own soldiers
had no idea when they we're to be
called out, and that their only way Of
knowing was to watch the negro cook:
whom the old nan was seen cooking q
little store OF the poor food which
was their only fare, then they pre-
Jared for departure. Marion's fayor1te
NINE for starting was sunset, and. then
the march tasted all night. Marion's
men-brave, shoeless, ragged, blanket
lees, gallant little bahd-the following
70 q verso OF one OF the many sonex
that were madS about you:
u band is few. Lat teue and tried,
Our leader swift and bold;
Tho British soldier tremblea
Whom Marion's name Is told.
Our fortress u the good greenwood.
Our tent the cypress tree;
We know the forest round Us
IA seamcn know the soa;
. We know its walls Of thorny vtnes.
Ats glades Of reeiy grass,
n safe and silent islands
Within the dark morass."- BRYANT.
It 70 said that CORVALLIS had an e.
Secial fear Of Marion, and never sat
down ia any strange house in the
aeighborhood OF Charleston, but al
ways on a piazza or under a tree, that
with bis own eyes he could watch for
the swift-darting foe. Poor Corn.
wallis, what JOY swept over the coun.
try. when he was taken! Even the
Dutch watchmen Of Philadelphia
called the news after midnight, "Bast
twelfe o'clock, and CORVALLIS eS
VageD !"-Hd1pe1''s Magazine.