Francis Marion (1732-1795)
Francis Marion was born near Georgetown, South Carolina, and joined the state militia during the French and Indian War, fighting against the Cherokee. In 1776 he served under William Moultrie during the Battle of Sullivan’s Island and later under Benjamin Lincoln during the siege of Savannah. Wounded prior to the British siege of Charleston, Marion avoided capture upon the surrender of the city, and at this point–with regular Patriot forces effectively driven from the state–he began organizing a small force of his own. Too small to stand up to massed troops, he nonetheless wreaked havoc upon the enemy in a series of lightning raids on garrison units and supplies. Known as “the swamp fox,” Marion is widely regarded as one of the originators of guerilla warfare.