The Republican., 1892-03-04

taken up ny tne pOpllace aS DelnR good
it, 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, Tareton. the
expression, "As for this swamp fox, the
devil himself couldn't catch him." and II
the widely credited stories of those explt its
are not true In every detail, or are toe
highly colored, they are characteristic and
deal with strong and picturesque side oi
the life of one of the most sublime and
daring heroes Of the south.
Marion ut a certain stage of his career
was a Swamp Fox" and conducted an ir
regular warfare. but his methods were
suited to the region Of his campaigns ant
to the nature Of his enemy. In point oi
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 soldier, and in the Cherokee
war virtually won Il battle by leading a for
lorn hope of 30 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 ITS to l179, 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 fortu' ate 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, 1880
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 u 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 tyrarhy 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 a
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 o.
depleted according to luck or necessity,
that Marion handled with disturbing effect
on the British using the swamps Of the
central river region now rs an ambush,
now as a lair. With these men, dispersed
in crises Of grave danger and summoned
10 arms again Mt the moment Of oppor
tunity, Marion cut off supplies from the
foreign armies in South Carolina, broke up
the haunts of Tory adherents Of the hate
ful .,le, captured scouting parties and dis
patch bearers, and in n dozen ways con-
vinced the enemy that conquest of the soil
didn'tinclude ethesubjugation OF the people.
Marion's brigade undoubtedly gave the
British ample cause to stigmatize it as a
band of outlaws, at least ample from n
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
my's districts. Marion himself had no
regimentals until he secured them by the
recapture of some supplies at British
post. The warfare he waged was embit-
tered by the activity Of the Tory nhabit-
ants, who, backed by the kings forces,
were guilty of nameless cruelties toward