The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-11-25


fit. Romance and tradition have extended
the fame of those wonderful exploits of
Marion in regions Of bog and briar which
drew from his baffled enemy, Tarleton, the
expression, GAS for this swamp fox, the
devil himself couldn't catch him" and if
the widely credited stories of those exploits
are not true in every detail, or are too
highly colored, they are characteristic and
deal with strong and picturesque side of
the life of one of the most sublime and
daring heroes Of the south.
Marion at a certain stage of his career
was Swamp Fox" and conducted an ir-
regular warfare. but his methods were
suited to the region of his campaigns and
to the nature of his enemy. In point of
fact he passed but an Insignificant portion
of his service in independent warfare, and
was almost constantly acting in the regu-
lar ranks of the Revolutionary army.
Before the Revolution Marion distinguish
ed himself as a soldier, and in the Cherokee
war virtually won battle by leading for
lorn hope of 80 men to storm the key
point of the Indian position. After that he
served in the provincial congress, and in the
first regiment of Revolutionary volunteers
organized in his district was elected cap
tain. In the desperate battles around
Charleston and Savannah and in the cam
paigns of the south, from 1775 to 1779, he
won promotion step by step until he be-
came colonel and was for time second in
command to Gen. Lincoln, the American
leader in the south.
By a fortunate accident in Charleston
before the British lines closed around it,
he broke one of his legs and went away to
his home in the interior, and so escaped
capture when the city fell, in May, 1850.
Other military disasters soon followed the
surrender of Charleston and in a few
weeks there was not an armed body of
Americans in the field in South Carolina.
Meanwhile Marion had recovered from his
hurt, and Governor Rutledge placed him
in command of district that was rising
to arms against British oppression. The
oppression was not imaginary but real; it
was not the menace of laws passed away
over the sea, but the hand of tyranny felt
daily at home. The kings officers. after
prevailing upon the inhabitants by peace
full proclamations to lay down their arms
as patriots, demanded that they take them
up again as British soldiers and fight
against their brethren. The people of
large district known as Williamsburgh,
learning that Marion was under way to
head an uprising, boldly refused TO obey
the kings minions and secretly organized
four companies under the title of "Marion's
brigade"
1t was this force, afterward increased OF
depleted according TO luck or necessity,
that Marion handled with disturbing effect
on the British, using the swamps of the
central river region now as an ambush,
now as lair. With these men, dispersed
in crises of grave danger and summoned
to arms again at the moment of oppor-
tunity, Marion cut off supplies from the
foreign armies in South Carolina, brokeuL
the haunts of Tory adhereuts OF the hate
full rule, captured scouting parties and dis
patch bearers, and in a dozen ways con-
WINGED the enemy that conquest of the soil
didn' tinclude ethesubiugation of the people.
Marion's brigade undoubtedly gave the
British ample cause to stigmatze it as
band of outlaws, at least ample from a
British point of view. The men were not
uniformed and were armed with rude
weapons, their sabers being wrought out
of saws taken from mills lying in the enc
ny's districts. Marion himself had no
regimentals until he secured them by the
recapture of some supplies at a British
post. The warfare he waged was embit-
tered by the activity of the Tory inhabit-
ants, who, backed by the kings forces,
were guilty of nameless cruelties toward