Essay --

â€Å"Promises that you make to yourself are often like the Japanese plum tree- they bear no fruit,† said Francis Marion. The youngest son of six children from Gabriel and Esther Marion was born in 1732 at the family plantation in Berkeley County, South Carolina, whose name was soon to be Francis Marion. The Marion family moved to a plantation in St. George when Francis was only a toddler so that the children could receive an education in Georgetown, SC. When Francis turned fifteen, he decided to take a job as a sailor and register as the sixth crewman on a schooner, which is a type of sailing vessel with several masts. After a voyage to the West Indies, on the trip back the ship was reported to be hit by whale and sunken. After a week in a small boat under the blazing sun, two men have died due to exposure and dehydration, while the Marion and the rest have survived and made it back to shore. Soon to come throughout Francis Marion’s life more adventurous scenarios wil l been seen and greatly affect America’s history which will show how Francis Marion receives the nickname the ,†Swap Fox.† With a disaster at sea, Francis made a bright decision to go back to his home plantation. With another disaster brewing on land, the French & Indian War was crucial for Francis Marion because warfare was seen for the first time but far from the last time. Marion mobilized into a militia company in 1757 serving as a lieutenant to defend the frontier. Taking orders under Captain William Moultrie, Francis pursued in a barbarous movement facing the Native American tribe called the Cherokees. Throughout the short war, Francis took important notes of Cherokee tactics which stressed on tools like camouflage, utilizing the terrain for advantage, and ambushi... ... appointed Loyalist militias to pursue Marion. Through no militia could stop him, he won victories at Black Mingo Creek, Blue Savannah, and Tearcoat Swamp. Still No one could touch him, Major Patrick Ferguson's force was defeated at the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7. Cornwallis became increasingly concerned about Marion, so as a result he dispatched the feared Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton to destroy Marion's command. With nicknames like â€Å"Bloody Man† or â€Å"Butcher† Lieutenant Colonel Banastre was not the best choice to mess with, even after the â€Å"Waxhaw’s Massacre† slaughtering hundreds. Tarleton was told intelligence spilling Marion’s location. Closing on Marion's camp, Tarleton hunted for the patriot for seven hours and across 26 miles before stopping in swampy territory and stating, "As for this damned old fox, the Devil himself could not catch him."