MARION, FRANCIS ( 1732-95). An American soldier. lie was born at. Winyah. near Ceo•ge town, S. C.. in which neighborhood his grand father. a Huguenot refugee. had settled soon after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. in 1685. In 1759 be removed to Pond Elba near Eutaw. In 1775 he represented Sahli John's Parish. Berkeley County. in the Provincial Con gress. which adopted the Bill of Rights, and voted to raise forces after the bailie of Lexing ton. lle was commissioned a captain in Colonel Monitrie's regiment. Jam 21st. and took part in the occupation of Ro•t Johnson, which caused the flight of the royal Governor. Lord William Campbell. After his promotion to major. in 1776, he was stationed at the unfinished Fort Sallitan (afterwards called Fort Moultrie), in Charleston Harbor. He showed great coolness daring Sir Peter Parker's bombardment. June 28, 1776, and was made lieutenant-colonel in the regular service. For a time he was in eommand of Fort Moultrie, and then took part in the un successful attack of D'Estaing and Lincoln on Savannah in 1779. When the British captured Charleston in 1780 and began to overrun the State. Marion tied to North Carolina, where he wet I leneral Este., who received hint coldly. Soon he was asked to command four companies of ir regnl:n• cavalry, which had been raised Williamsburg, S. C.. and in August. 1780. Dov ernor Rutledge gate him a commission as briga dier-general of State troops. After the defeat of Dates at Camden and of Sumter at Fishing ('reek, this was for a time the only Ameriean force of any strength in the State. The men
furnished their own equipment and came and went almost at, will. as it was necessary to pro tect their families from the Tories and to plant their erops.
The first important action was on -\ugust 2, 17:SO. at Nelson's Ferry. where two companies of Brit ish regulars were routed and 1,51) rental soldiers taken at Calmlen were reeap tured. Marion's men caused trouble to Cornwallis by intercepting communications, cap turing foraging and scouting parties. and intimidating the Tories. Major Wemyss and Colonel Tarleton were especially instructed to take him, For a time Marion was forced to retreat toward North Carolina. but in 1781 he established him self at the continence of Lynch's Creek and the Pedee Bi Ver, in a swampy forest known as Snow's Island. lie took Fort Watson in conjunction with C'ol. Henry Lee, captured Fort Motte and Georgetown, fought at Quinby's Bridge and Park er's Ferry, and at Eutaw Springs. The farce was not disbanded until after the British erne nation. in December, 1782. :\ [anion was elected to the General Assembly in 1782. and was pub Rely thanked by that body in 17ti3. As he had been impoverished by the war, the sinecure of etiniloandant of Fort Johnson was created for him. After his marriage to a wealthy woman, Mary Videan, he represented Saint 'John's in the State Senate and in the Constitutional Con vention of 17 10. Consult : Simms. Life of Eran cis .1Iarion (l8-14), and Tarleton, Ilistong of the Campaigns of 17,Sl•I7R1 (Dublin. 17S71.