The Swamp Fox : how Francis Marion saved the American Revolution

The Swamp Fox How Francis Marion saved the American Revolution

John Oller

Book - 2016

In the darkest days of the American Revolution, Francis Marion and his band of militia freedom fighters kept hope alive for the patriot cause during the critical British "southern campaign." Employing insurgent guerrilla tactics that became commonplace in later centuries, Marion and his brigade inflicted enemy losses that were individually small but cumulatively a large drain on British resources and morale. Although many will remember the stirring adventures of the "Swamp Fox" from the Walt Disney television series of the late 1950s and the fictionalized Marion character played by Mel Gibson in the 2000 film The Patriot, the real Francis Marion bore little resemblance to either of those caricatures. But his exploits wer...e no less heroic as he succeeded, against all odds, in repeatedly foiling the highly trained, better-equipped forces arrayed against him. In this action-packed biography we meet many colorful characters from the Revolution: Banastre Tarleton, the British cavalry officer who relentlessly pursued Marion over twenty-six miles of swamp, only to call off the chase and declare (per legend) that "the Devil himself could not catch this damned old fox," giving Marion his famous nickname; Thomas Sumter, the bold but rash patriot militia leader whom Marion detested; Lord Cornwallis, the imperious British commander who ordered the hanging of rebels and the destruction of their plantations; "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, the urbane young Continental cavalryman who helped Marion topple critical British outposts in South Carolina; but most of all Francis Marion himself, "the Washington of the South," a man of ruthless determination yet humane character, motivated by what his peers called "the purest patriotism." In The Swamp Fox, the first major biography of Marion in more than forty years, John Oller compiles striking evidence and brings together much recent learning to provide a fresh look both at Marion, the man, and how he helped save the American Revolution.

Saved in:
Place a Hold Save to List Email this

2nd Floor Show me where

973.33/Oller
1 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
2nd Floor 973.33/Oller Checked In
Subjects
Marion, Francis, > 1732-1795.
Generals > Biography.
South Carolina > Militia > Biography.
United States > History > Revolution, 1775-1783 > Biography.
South Carolina > History > Revolution, 1775-1783 > Campaigns.
Georgia > History > Revolution, 1775-1783 > Campaigns.
United States > History > Revolution, 1775-1783 > Campaigns.
Biographies.
Genres
Biographies
Published
Boston, MA : Da Capo Press [2016]
Language
English
Main Author
John Oller (author)
Physical Description
xiii, 368 pages : illustration, maps ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 339-352) and index.
ISBN
9780306824579
  • List of Maps
  • Author's Note
  • Prologue: The Darkest Hour
  • 1. A Most Uncivil War
  • 2. "A Spirit of Toleration"
  • 3. Frontier Lessons
  • 4. Manning the Ramparts
  • 5. Commander of the 2nd Regiment
  • 6. Birth of a Partisan
  • 7. Hitting and Running
  • 8. "My Little Excursions"
  • 9. Dead Man's Hand
  • 10. The Swamp Fox
  • 11. "I Must Drive Marion Out of That Country"
  • 12. "I Have Not the Honor of Your Acquaintance"
  • 13. "Two Very Enterprising Officers"
  • 14. Hound and Fox
  • 15. Fox and Hound
  • 16. "A War of Posts"
  • 17. Ball of Fire
  • 18. Winning by Losing
  • 19. Dog Days
  • 20. "The Most Galling Fire"
  • 21. "At Eutaw Springs the Valiant Died"
  • 22. "Watchful Anxiety"
  • 23. "As Soon as They Can Spare Me"
  • 24. "To Prevent the Effusion of Blood"
  • 25. "An Affectionate Farewell"
  • 26. "The Purest Patriotism"
  • Acknowledgments
  • Abbreviations
  • Notes
  • Selected Bibliography
  • Index
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Biographer Oller (American Queen) turns his focus to Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, whose ability to evade superior British forces earned him the nickname of the Swamp Fox. It is Oller's thesis that Marion's brilliant military engagements throughout South Carolina diverted British resources sufficiently to allow the Continental Army to consolidate its positions and helped to make possible its crushing 1781 defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Oller follows Marion's battles and skirmishes in great detail, describing the terrain, the size of the opposition forces, the tactical decisions made by Marion and his British and loyalist foes, and the losses suffered by the combatants. An exploration of the politics within the Continental Army and the role that personal rivalries and prejudices played in the conduct of the war gives the narrative a human quality that enriches the military history. Most interesting is Oller's focus on the split between the Tory loyalists and Whig revolutionaries. The bitterness between the two colonial factions created a civil war within the context of the revolution that is not generally examined. Oller also comments on Marion's noteworthy decency and heroic reputation. His account of Marion and the South Carolina battleground gives readers a fresh view of a lesser-known Revolutionary War campaign. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review by Library Journal Review

In his latest work, Oller (American Queen) details how during the American Revolution South Carolina forces led by Continental Army officer Francis Marion ensnared the British Army into guerilla-style warfare that alleviated pressure on George Washington's troops in the North. Marion used his militia to outwit the British by fighting unconventional battles. Oller effectively describes these conflicts along with Marion's leadership style, which included not allowing his soldiers to partake in any reprisals; if they did, there would be harsh discipline. Oller's exemplary knowledge about South Carolina's forgotten tussle during the revolution will engage readers interested in works such as Walter B. Edgar's Partisans and Redcoats, John W. Gordon's South Carolina and the American Revolution, and Henry Lumpkin's From Savannah to Yorktown. -VERDICT Highly recommended for military aficionados and students of Southern U.S. history or the American Revolution.- Jacob Sherman, John Peace Lib., Univ. of Texas at San Antonio © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

An admiring biography of Francis Marion (1732-1795), a military hero of the American Revolution.As Oller (American Queen: The Rise and Fall of Kate Chase SpragueCivil War "Belle of the North" and Gilded Age Woman of Scandal, 2013, etc.) notes, readers of a certain age will remember Marion, the Swamp Fox, as the subject of a Disney TV series that ran from 1959 to 1961, and he also reminds us that the 2000 Mel Gibson film, The Patriot, was based loosely on Marions exploits. The authors strategy is conventional and chronological. He acknowledges the difficulty of separating fact from legend in Marions case, but the author is resolute. He teaches us about Marions family (he did not marry until after the war) and the determination of the British to employ a Southern strategy as the war progressed. A slaveholder in South Carolina, he became a militia leader and quickly established himself as a slippery foe, one who, the author declares, borrowed from the guerrilla tactics of the Cherokee, whom hed fought earlier. Oller takes us through each of the two dozen or so of Marions engagements, virtually all of which were successful; sometimes the detail is daunting, but the maps help clarify matters. Oller shows us a man who was a stickler for discipline but who also refused to allow his men to plunder and commit other overly punitive acts. We meet, as well, his military supporters and antagonistsNathanael Greene among the former, Thomas Sumter among the latter. Oller is generous in his praise for Marionhis efforts did thwart the Southern strategybut he seems a bit uncomfortable discussing the Swamp Fox as a slave owner. Although the author periodically alludes to slavery, he does not discuss it in much detail until the final pages, where he states its safe to assume [Marion] was not a cruel master. A thoroughly researched biography, if a tad tendentious. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Similar Items