The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-13

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of the grotesque band was one of the
remarkable soldiers OF the Revolu-
tionary War. And certainly he did
not imagine that pos,erity would RAM
Francis Marion farShigher than Horatio
Gates.
1t probably was q good thing for
the Continental army that Gates had
no desire to use Marion AMI his men,
for Marion's real career may be said
to have opened when he departed from
Gates's camp.
To be sure. he had plenty Of ex-
perience. for he had served in three
Indian campaigns before. the Revolu-
tionary War, and had led the forlorn
the power of the Cherokees was
broken. He had been a captain under
Moultrie in the defense of Charles
| ton in 1916. and had fired some Of the
shots that riddled the British fleet
and Won that remarkable engagement.
He had been in command of Fort Moul-
| trie for year or two. and In 1779
| went from there to take part in the
| desperate attempt TO drive the British
! out of Savannah.
! Possibly he would have been cap
I LuItQ TIC 1dIi cL SI!dt!eSlOds Tie
| early part of 1880. had ii not been for
an accident. In the early days of the
| siege he was one OF half dozen
! guests at the home of q prominent
| gentleman.
The host, in a foolish endeavor to
prevent his friends from leaving be-
| fore they had eaten and drank freely,
locked the front door. Marion, one of
+, the most temperate of men, rather
| than remain in a house under such
conditions. jumped from a second-story
| window. He broke his ankle and was
carried to his plantation on a litter
| While he was laid up General Lincoln
surrendered Charleston. For months
after the surrender Marion had to b.
| moved secretly from place to place to
prevent his capture by the British, but
with the first appearance of Gates in
the field he had limped out from his
hiding place, gathered as many OF the
scattered patriots together as he could
and had hurried to offer his services
to the general.
On the Pcdee.
He was in the camp of Gates when
he received an invitation from tn
Wing farmers OF the Williamsburg dis
trict to be their leader. Governor Rut-
, ledge at once gave brigadier's COM
mission to Marion, and 1t was then,
at the age Of forty-eight, that Marion
began to show his genius. His fame
rests largely on tradition. There was
little written record kept in Marion's
band OF what was done. but If there
| was nothing to refer to except the
| journals of Lords CORVALLIS and Raw.
| don and Colonels Tarleton and Wat
! son that would be sufficient. Twas the
British who gave the name of
Swamp Fox to him. No one gave more
| trouble to them than did Marion. lie
was a will o'-the-wisp. They never
seemed able to catch him. AT a time
when the British thought they had all
the country in control he cut off their
up recruiting bodies, swooped down on
| the rear guards or tho vanguards OF
the Kings commands, destroyed COM
munications and kept the English in
turmoil if not in terror.
Sometimes he had comparatively few
men. At other times he had 400 o,
| 500. He was able, it seemed, to dis
| band or to assemble his force accord
! ing to his needs Not only did he
have to fight the British regulars but
the Tories Nowhere in the whole
country was the proportion Of Tories
SO large as in South Carolina How
marvelously active he became may
be appreciated from the fact that five
months after the defeat OF Gates, Corn
wallis wrote:
| colonel Marion had so wrought or
the minds of the people, partly by
! the terror or his threats ana cruelty
| of his punishnents, and parity by Tue
promise of plumber. that there was
scarcely an inhabltant between inc
Santee and Pedee that was lloe J. ~ !,
arms against u.s. Some parties nag
| even crossed the Santee ana carries
terror 10 the gates of Charleston
Mostly Deserved.
Certainly a fine tribute for gen
orr, commanding nearly loooo men
t,.y 70 a man whose force con
j sisted Of volunteers. who served WITH
nmt nav. who went into actloh re
,nonilv with only two or thfee ROUNDS
~ ammunitlon, who had seen nc
,',o,ev for years. who rarely had mea'
nn sa1aom had enough to eat, who
n.s a ~ cnnture from the enemy mos
nv +,a rms viii. which they fought
y. w,,o we're equally successful II
s en- pitcneG battle or siege.
ant Carnwallis was unjust II
aharg,ne, Marion with being cruel. He
s,,nseas gentle as q woman There !:
no record, no story of any cruel nc
- al his life. He was one OF the
4 most mercif,,l and one Of the mos
4 nntlcnt OF men, There was no lust q
4 hood about Francis Marion, IN many
respects he was u pocket edition O
4 George Washington They We're q
4 the same age. They were of the same
calm. tolerant mind. They We're un
j compromising in the ca use OF truth ant