Tall, Strong, Handsome? That Doesn't Describe 'Swamp Fox'

MOST AMERICANS ENVISION Colonel Francis Marion, the 'Swamp Fox,' as a tall, strong, handsome, and swashbuckling cavalryman, fearlessly leading South Carolinians to victory in the American Revolution. Certainly after the film, 'The Patriot,' many Americans will associate the Swamp Fox with Mel Gibson's brave and tragic character. Actually Marion did not look or act like a hero at all. He was short (although Mel Gibson isn't that tall, either!), frail, and walked with a limp (he broke his ankle jumping out the window of a party he left early). Colonel Marion was an uneducated bachelor who was described as eccentric and unable to get along with his fellow military officers. He was not bold in his military tactics, but rather very cautious and prudent. Yet Marion was undoubtedly a courageous and deadly soldier, whose guerilla warfare techniques severely crippled British campaigns in the South, and helped to ensure American victory in the War for Independence.