SOUTH CAROLINA HALL OF FAME

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1 SOUTH CAROLINA HALL OF FAME Teacher Guide General Francis Marion

2 South Carolina Social Studies Standards Francis Marion Standard 8-2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the causes of the American Revolution and the beginnings of the new nation, with an emphasis on South Carolina s role in the development of that nation Compare the perspectives of different groups of South Carolinians during the American Revolution, including Patriots, Tories/Loyalists, women, enslaved and free Africans, and Native Americans Summarize the role of South Carolinians in the course of the American Revolution, including the use of partisan warfare and the battles of Charleston, Camden, Cowpens, Kings Mountain and Eutaw Springs. Writing Standards Common Core Grade 8 Text Types and Purposes Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events. d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events. e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events 2

S.C. Hall of Fame Biography Francis Marion Born in Berkeley County in 1732, Francis Marion s first military experience was in the French and Indian War (1757-1763).

3 S.C. Hall of Fame Biography Francis Marion Born in Berkeley County in 1732, Francis Marion s first military experience was in the French and Indian War ( ). Until the fall of Charleston in 1780 Marion served in the Second Regiment, South Carolina Line Continental Establishment. Retreating to the swamps in the lowcountry, Marion organized bands of guerilla soldiers whose hit-and-run tactics harassed the occupying British forces for the remainder of the Revolutionary War. Nicknamed The Swamp Fox, Marion s tactics were a major reason the British southern strategy failed, leading to their ultimate surrender at Yorktown. 3

4 Activity: Help the Patriot Cause Francis Marion The following letter is an imagined correspondence between Colonel Francis Lord Rawdon, British commanding officer of the British outpost at Camden, and Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, head of the British dragoons, a mounted cavalry unit who harassed SC citizens and partisan fighters. The pretend correspondence has been censored by the writer in an attempt to relay secret information about the American rebel Francis Marion, and British movements in the upcountry of SC. Therefore, certain words have been purposely blackened to prevent the patriot enemy from decoding the information should the letter be apprehended. Students however, have an advantage that would have been unavailable to American patriots. Using their textbook, the ETV Hall of Fame video, and listed vocabulary, students should try to decode the correspondence, choosing terms that will make the meaning of the letter understandable. Flash cards with vocabulary terms and definitions have been created to help students in their understanding of the vocabulary, and to help them decipher the coded correspondence. Procedures: This is recommended as a small group activity. The teacher should use both textbook resources and the Hall of Fame video to introduce Francis Marion, key terms, individuals, and events. Terms can be dragged and placed within the letter to decipher the correspondence. (Hint... at least once, an answer needed to decode the correspondence is in the definition, and will not be the vocabulary term itself. Also, some of the terms are used more than once) Once the small group places the vocabulary, and determines that the letter has been decoded correctly, the group decides what actions the British are planning based on their interpretation. The teacher should over-exaggerate the importance of the intelligence students are decrypting, reminding students of the major defeat of Continental forces at Charleston, as well as the subsequent establishment British outpost, which the British hoped would help them control the colony of SC. The resources/internet sites listed should be quite helpful, as it will show students how the British controlled the SC colony for a short time. There are also free apps listed that show state sites, but also discuss real spy rings that developed during the Revolution. This is an AMC app 4

5 and gives students fun opportunities to virtually disguise themselves using their pictures and period clothing. To finish the activity students must write a letter informing Nathanael Greene and Francis Marion of British intentions. (They can pretend to be an American spy if they like) Included in the letter should be a plan of action for the patriots to disrupt British plans, and how partisans, with possibly some Continental help, can make British progress in controlling South Carolina difficult. Students must make use of at least five vocabulary terms in their correspondence, and include two facts that were presented in the Hall of Fame video, but were not included in the British encrypted correspondence. A rubric will be used to assess studentcreated correspondence. The assessment can be completed by peer groups, or the teacher Free Apps: (1) History Here from the History Channel - (2)TURN from AMC 5

6 Vocabulary Terms civil war Continentals American Revolution parole Charleston rebels guerrilla warfare Waxhaws Continental Congress loyalist Camden Lord Charles Cornwallis patriot militia King George Redcoats partisan Ninety-Six Provincial Congress low country George Washington siege up country/back country Georgetown skirmish Francis Marion Augusta William Moultrie Henry Lee war of posts Southern Campaign infantry Fort Watson cavalry quarter Fort Motte dragoons Snow Island Thomas Sumter Nathanael Greene 6

7 To: Colonel Francis Lord Rawdon - British outpost Camden From: Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, British dragoons Dear Lord Rawdon, Of late, SC partisan fighters have caused much disruption to our lines of supply throughout the colony. Having adequately and thoroughly contained the Continentals at the siege of Charleston, British forces have made satisfactory gains in establishing primary post in Charleston, Georgetown, Camden, Ninety-Six, and Augusta. I have long questioned the concept of parole instituted by Lord Cornwallis after the Charleston siege for those local militia captured fighting with the Continentals. I say never trust a rebel; they are a treacherous and ungentlemanly group. That s why I showed no hesitation at Waxhaw, although I was reprimanded for the damage done to the cause of winning the hearts of the dastardly rebels! Ha, I say straight through the heart! This policy, or might I say lack of policy, has led directly to the cowardly fighting tactics of those SC partisans, who I dare say were once militia! Two in particular, Thomas Sumter and Francis Marion, have been like nagging mosquitoes, irritating but also with the ability to infect the country side with fever! We ll get the old Gamecock, Thomas Sumter, but as for this damn Swamp Fox, not even the Devil himself could catch him. It is the hit and run strategy that most confounds us, no true military fundamentals, and by the time infantry responds, they are gone like a will-o -the-wisp. We even destroyed the Fox s Snow Island camp, but with little effect as we discovered that Marion has many 7

8 camps and many different groups of partisan fighters throughout the low country. It is my understanding that Washington has given some Continental forces to a General Greene for a Southern Campaign. He in response has turned to the partisans, suggesting a war of posts. Well my dear Lord Rawdon, I have some ideas too. I am suggesting smaller post, protecting post, manned with British Regulars. The first located downstream along the Santee at a plantation owned by a Watson family (soon to be Fort Watson), and also another plantation along the Congaree, owned by the Motte family, soon to be Fort Motte. Both are easily provisioned and fortified, and will ideally provide protection to supply lines leading to Camden and Ninety-Six. Let that Swamp Fox try to stop us now! Even if that Southern commander Greene sends Continentals to help, it won t do them much good. We ll tie up this colony like a pretty little package and send it to good King George in London-town! Then, we re free to supply the extra support Lord Cornwallis so desperately needs to our north. Take heart, the victory is soon to be ours! Your most gracious servant, Banastre Tarleton 8

9 Answer Key The underlined terms in the letter are the terms blackened in the student letter. The vocabulary has been placed on electronic flash cards using the app flashcardlet. An URL or Dropbox option will be available for students to download on individual devices, or for the teacher to download as a whole class activity. To: Colonel Francis Lord Rawdon - British outpost Camden From: Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, British dragoons Dear Lord Rawdon, Of late, SC partisan fighters have caused much disruption to our lines of supply throughout the colony. Having adequately and thoroughly contained the Continentals at the siege of Charleston, British forces have made satisfactory gains in establishing primary post in Charleston, Georgetown, Camden, Ninety-Six, and Augusta. I have long questioned the concept of parole instituted by Lord Cornwallis after the Charleston siege for those local militia captured fighting with the Continentals. I say never trust a rebel; they are a treacherous and ungentlemanly group. That s why I showed no hesitation at Waxhaw, although I was reprimanded for the damage done to the cause of winning the hearts of the dastardly rebels! Ha, I say straight through the heart! This policy, or might I say lack of policy, has led directly to the cowardly fighting tactics of those SC partisans, who I dare say were once militia! Two in particular, Thomas Sumter and Francis Marion, have been like the nagging 9

10 mosquitoes, irritating but also with the ability to infect the country side with fever! We ll get the old Gamecock, Thomas Sumter, but as for this damn Swamp Fox, not even the Devil himself could catch him. It is the hit and run strategy that most confounds us, no true military fundamentals, and by the time infantry responds, they are gone like a will-o -the-wisp. We even destroyed the Fox s Snow Island camp, but with little effect as we discovered that Marion has many camps and many different groups of partisan fighters throughout the low country. It is my understanding that Washington has given some Continental forces to a General Greene for a Southern Campaign. He in response has turned to the partisans, suggesting a war of posts. Well my dear Lord Rawdon, I have some ideas too. I am suggesting smaller post, protecting post, manned with British Regulars. The first located downstream along the Santee at a plantation owned by a Watson family (soon to be Fort Watson), and also another plantation along the Congaree, owned by the Motte family, soon to be Fort Motte. Both are easily provisioned and fortified, and will ideally provide protection to supply lines leading to Camden and Ninety-Six. Let that Swamp Fox try to stop us now! Even if that Southern commander Greene sends Continentals to help, it won t do them much good. We ll tie up this colony like a pretty little package and send it to good King George in London-town! Then, we re free to supply the extra support Lord Cornwallis so desperately needs to our north. Take heart, the victory is soon to be ours! Your most gracious servant, Banastre Tarleton 10

11 To enhance the lesson, or perhaps as an extra credit activity for students who have a love of animals, a lesson on Marsh Tackies, the types of horses used by Marion and his men as they traversed the swamps, can be found at the Sandlapper magazine website. The site provides an article on the Marsh Tacky, their history and use during Marion s time, and how dedicated horse lovers are preserving this beautiful, unique breed today. Along with the article are activities, with answer keys for you, the teacher, to make assessing student work as easy as possible. 11

12 In Pursuit of Francis Marion Rubric Each category is worth between 0 & 10 points. 0 means no credit and 10 means maximum credit. Group/person obviously had a strong understanding of the vocabulary, and used that understanding to decipher the British letter Response letter to Greene & Marion shows the group/person understood Tarleton s plan to stop partisan fighters Writing is clear and coherent The development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience Response letter creates a plan of action for Marion/Greene that is logical and would be appropriate for the time period Response letter uses at least 5 vocabulary terms Vocabulary terms in the response letter are used correctly and appropriately Response letter uses 2 Hall of Fame video facts not found in the British correspondence Writer shows an understanding, in the response letter, of how partisan fighting methods differed from British fighting methods, and how partisan actions would disrupt British plans The response letter flows well, is enjoyable to read, and has few errors of convention Total points: 12

13 GFX:"Believe me, good sir, I wish to be clear of every public employment, but to retire when my country calls for my poor abilities, I should call cowardice. Francis Marion, 1782." Transcript Francis Marion (NARRATOR 1) Francis Marion the swamp fox is an early national and South Carolina historical figure whose story over time has been clouded with romance and legend. His contributions to the American Revolution not only forged this nation s independence but also led to the evolution of combat. (Walter Edgar 1, 2, 3) After the American Revolution, there were two great national heroes... one was George Washington, one was Francis Marion. Francis Marion is an exemplar of the people's struggle against tyranny. (Talbert 1) The way we have written the history of the American Revolution tends to focus on the battles from New Jersey, north. But on the other hand, it seems to me that we have overlooked that southern strategy and the fall of Charleston the greatest American disaster during the war it s a couple of sentences. If FM is mentioned it s only in passing the final stages of the war are fought and won in the South. The role of men like Francis Marion in South Carolina was critical 13

14 to that success. (NARRATOR 2) Francis Marion, was born around the year 1732 in Berkeley County, the Grandson of French Huguenot immigrants. His family owned and lived on various plantations in the low-country, including St. George and Eutaw Springs. At age 15, with the blessing of his parents, he became a sailor and was eventually shipwrecked and marooned somewhere between Georgetown and the West Indies. Marion and the surviving crew were rescued and later, as a young man, he fought in the French and Indian wars and served under Captain William Moultrie in a campaign against the Cherokee. By 1775, Marion had become a member of the South Carolina Provincial Congress. On June 21, 1775, he was commissioned Captain in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment and served again under William Moultrie, this time in the defense of Fort Sullivan and Fort Moultrie in the Charleston harbor. In September 1776 the Continental Congress commissioned Marion as a lieutenant colonel and in the fall of 1779 he took part in the siege of Savannah. (Talbert 3) The fall of Charleston, the surrender of the 2nd Regiment, was the largest disaster suffered by American forces during the war. (Talbert 3) Thankfully for us, a few were not there to surrender to the British, and among them were Peter Horry and, even more importantly, Francis Marion. (Talbert 4) 14

15 The story has always been that in Charleston, just before the fall of Charleston, he was at a drinking party. Being a man of moderate habits, he chose to leave, but the host had locked the doors. So he jumped from a second-story balcony, I suppose, and injured what were already malformed ankles. The bottom line is, of course, he was on sick leave, and not there to surrender. (Edgar 9) One of the things people don't understand about the partisan war-- this is true of Marion's men and of Bratton, Sumter, and others-- you never had the same group of people with you all the time. The size of his band fluctuated depending upon where the enemy was. (Talbert 8) Marion's small group of people would have been Scotch-Irish, French Huguenot, English and, of course, African American. (Edgar 11) Marion understood the principles of guerilla warfare, fighting from behind trees and bushes and that sort of thing, his idea was to lure the enemy into a situation where he, Marion, would have the advantage and then inflict damage and disappear. (Talbert 6) It had to be total chaos in South Carolina in the summer and fall of [hooves clomping, gunfire, men shouting/fighting] (narrator 3) Marion s band of rag tag fighters operated at times as the only oppositional force to the British Army in South Carolina. They did so without pay, supplying their own horses, food and weapons. His intelligence gathering, and military strategy afforded him victories in engagements at Mingo Creek, Fort Watson, Fort Motte and the Battle of Eutaw Springs. 15

16 (Edgar 10) They never knew where Marion was because he never stayed in one place. He had headquarters at Snow Island, but he wasn't hunkered down. That was just where they touched home base. (Smith 5) The situation with any Marion researcher is there is quite a bit of myth mixed up in what we know about Marion. In fact, what we know about Marion versus what we think we know about Marion are radically two different things. (SMITH 3) Marion operated as a partisan mostly in the low country. There was no real permanent camp. There was a series of camps and he moved around and he camped when could, He dispersed his men off into the countryside. He kept detached outposts, so there is no doubt that Marion had several camps in the area and probably no one camp was more important than the other. There were several camps in the immediate area that when they became threatened he would move on. He had to keep on the move because he was in an area that was surrounded by loyalists and the British were going to be after him so like a good guerilla leader, a partisan leader, he would move around. He was able to keep a few men together long enough to give the British some trouble. (Edgar 6) According to tradition, we owe Tarleton, who may have been the most successful British field commander in South Carolina-- It was Tarleton quoted about, We'll get the old Gamecock, Thomas Sumter, but as for this damn Swamp Fox, not even the Devil himself could catch him." (Talbert1 ) What we need to remember is, the great victory of the war was where? Yorktown! That's in Virginia. That's Cornwallis. From where 16

17 was he coming? From South Carolina, for goodness sakes! (Edgar 4) You can look at Marion's campaign today and compare it to what Mao Tse Tung wrote 200 years later. It's a textbook for guerilla fighting. The will-o'-the-wisp, the Swamp Fox, whatever you want to call him...hit and run. Hit the enemy where they least expect and disappear. Your object is not a standing battle and fight to the death. It is to inflict damage and disappear. (Edgar 8) It was a dirty, nasty business, and Francis Marion, in his own way, was ruthlessly effective. (narrator 4) After the war, Marion married his cousin Mary Esther Videau, and the couple adopted a son. Marion served several terms in the South Carolina State Senate and eventually died on his estate in 1795 at the age of 63. Francis Marion is buried at Belle Isle Plantation Cemetery, near Eadytown, South Carolina. 17

18 Timeline Francis Marion Francis Marion is born in St. John's Parish, Berkeley County, South Carolina Francis Marion attempts to sail to the West Indies Francis Marion joins a militia company that does not see action in the French and Indian War Francis Marion serves as a lieutenant under Captain William Moultrie in the Cherokee War. June - Francis Marion valiantly leads thirty men into a known Indian ambush Francis Marion buys a plantation north of Eutaw Springs, South Carolina, calling it Pond's Bluff Francis Marion is elected to the South Carolina Provincial Congress. June 17 - Francis Marion is made Captain of the Second South Carolina Regiment. November - Francis Marion serves in Snow's Campaign against Tories February 10 - Francis Marion is in Charleston to help with fortifying the harbor. February 22 - Francis Marion is promoted to Major. June 28 - Francis Marion commands the left side of the fort at the Battle of Fort Sullivan at 18

19 Charleston, South Carolina. November 23 - Francis Marion is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel September 23 - Francis Marion assumes command of the Second South Carolina Regiment 1779 October 9 - Francis Marion sees action at the (Second) Battle of Savannah, Georgia. 19

20 Credits South Carolina Social Studies Standard Correlations were provided by Lisa Ray The purpose of the South Carolina Hall of Fame is to recognize and honor both contemporary and past citizens who have made outstanding contributions to South Carolina's heritage and progress. Funding for Knowitall.org was provided by the S. C. General Assembly through the K-12 Technology Initiative. Visit scetv.org/education for more educational resources. 20

Chapter 7.3 The War Expands

Chapter 7.3 The War Expands Chapter 7 - The Section 3 The Path to Victory Savannah and Charles Town Believing most Southerners were Loyalists, the British moved the war to the South after three years of fighting in the North, they