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The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution
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Hachette Books 2016
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Description
This comprehensive biography of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, covers his famous wartime stories as well as a private side of him that has rarely been explored
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 were 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.
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Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
10/25/2016
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780306824586, 9780306902482
ASIN:
B01IMZ5CDO
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

John Oller. (2016). The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution. Hachette Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

John Oller. 2016. The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution. Hachette Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

John Oller, The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution. Hachette Books, 2016.

MLA Citation (style guide)

John Oller. The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution. Hachette Books, 2016.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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title
The Swamp Fox
fullDescription
This comprehensive biography of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, covers his famous wartime stories as well as a private side of him that has rarely been explored
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 were 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.
reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: Kirkus
      • content:

        September 15, 2016
        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 Sprague--Civil 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 Marion's exploits. The author's strategy is conventional and chronological. He acknowledges the difficulty of separating fact from legend in Marion's case, but the author is resolute. He teaches us about Marion's 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 he'd fought earlier. Oller takes us through each of the two dozen or so of Marion's 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 antagonists--Nathanael Greene among the former, Thomas Sumter among the latter. Oller is generous in his praise for Marion--his efforts did thwart the Southern strategy--but 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 it's "safe to assume [Marion] was not a cruel master." A thoroughly researched biography, if a tad tendentious.

        COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        November 1, 2016

        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 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        September 11, 2017
        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.

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This comprehensive biography of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, covers his famous wartime stories as well as a private side of him that has rarely been explored
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 were no less heroic as he succeeded, against all odds, in repeatedly foiling the highly...
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      • description: History / United States / Revolutionary Period (1775-1800)