Recap #6 of the book:
The Swamp Fox - How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution
The only tactic to preserve the effort was to hit and run .. and so when the effort formed on Aug 17th, 1780 .. and struck 1st on Aug 25th with less than half of the men (appox 70 out of 150 or so) ... the men melted back into the country side on the way back towards Witherspoon's Ferry to a narrow place between two rivers guarded by swamps and forests. About 50 men now remained as this was harvest time .. Marion didn't like it but he acquiesced understanding already the ebb and flow of the militia men volunteers.
1) Isolated from any chain of command with no logistical support from anywhere he starts writing Gen. Gates to the tune of "Where is the army?" while getting pressure from Major Weymss who is attempting to rid the colony of SC, specifically between the Santee and PeeDee rivers (Williamsburg district) of all rebel activity and then swing back and northeast on the way back to Camden to recruit from a Tory population in the Cheraws area. Not only the British 63rd Foot was after Marion, but Tory militia (250 on horses plus some foot soldiers) headed by Major Micajah Ganey, former patriot who served under Marion in the 2nd SC Regiment but switched sides after Whigs stole his horses.
2) Strategy: Outnumbered 5 - 1 .. strike first .. the element of surprise .. to his militia as well, to prevent leaks he would wake his men up and head out in a particular direction .. the target only he would have in mind. On Sep 4th 1780 he headed out north .. his men started wearing white feathers in their hat as militias did not have the luxury of similar color uniforms. Marion's 50 came up on 45 of Ganey's horsemen who were out foraging and killed and wounded all but 15 ... and then proceeded north once more and engaged the Tory foot soldiers who remained in their ranks and got off one volley that did little damage while Marion's men killed or wounded another 15 and from the edge of swamps then gave the foot soldiers verbal insults while the Tory force cowered in fear. Marion's force had four wounded and two dead horses.
3) Strategy: Regroup and allow your reputation to bring more resources ... Col. Hugh Giles militia force of 60 then joins Marion at Britton's Neck and they proceed to build a small fort on the shores of the PeeDee to guard the crossing at Port's Ferry with two old iron artillery pieces the other militia had brought. By this time a group of 150 British regulars and Tories were burning homes in the Williamsburg district of the men who had joined Marion and so Giles was dispatched to harass them. Marion then took 100 men with himself leaving 50 at the base camp and headed out toward Kingstree (the strongest Whig area in SC) and received intel from a Tory straggler via another militia leader, Major James, that a Brit force of 400 under Weymss was only 20 miles away about to embark on another effort to eliminate the rebel effort in that area. He also learned that another force of 200 was on the coast in Georgetown (two day's ride) preparing to do the same.
4) Strategy: When multiple larger forces appear to focus on your small unit ... withdraw and disperse ... so with two forces attempting to hem in his militia, he was considering falling back to camp, but he engaged his team and had dialog about the pros and cons. When it was decided to withdrawal, there was an audible groan from the men who knew their homes would be targeted by the Brits .. so when Marion left, he allowed a contingent of men to remain under Major James to gather intel and comfort the distressed. Back at camp on Sep 8th he heard that that a third force under Giles was also another "hound" looking for the "fox" .. so being squeezed on three sides his force moves north toward the NC border and dumps the two artillery pieces in the swamp. Eventually Marion's men were 30 miles past the border and he informed Gates that he would remain there until he heard something from him. In the mean time, the Brits and Tories under Weymss started their pillaging and burning .. burning the Presbyterian church in Indiantown on Sep 7th (Weymss himself was a Presbyterian but called it a "sedition shop") .. he burned the home of Major James after his wife refused to tell the Brits his location, a local ferryman was hanged in front of his wife and kids, and when a local doctor tried to intercede, his house was burnt down as well. Weymss forces cut a path 70 miles long and 5 miles wide through the area destroying over 50 homes and plantations as well as mills and blacksmith shops PLUS killing cows and sheep that the Brits themselves did not steal. (preview of Sherman's total war strategy) Blowback was inevitable. Weymss then wrote Cornwallis that he had tried to subdue the region and had chased the rebel militia out of the colony but that the Tory spirit in the area was weak and the Tory forces could not be counted on without Brit regulars as the Tories were scared of the rebel militia possibly burning their houses and distressing the locals .. how ironic! Although some rebels did resort to the Brit tactics, this was largely a Brit/Tory attribute that would haunt them the rest of the war. Marion would distance himself from those rebels who would go rogue and use severe tactics in the area. Two of Marion's officers would leave Marion's militia over this issue as they wanted house burning to be included in their strategy. Marion would have none of that as he believed it would hurt their cause. Marion sent a letter to Gates admitting this issue along with his attempts to attempt to reign them in whereas Cornwallis was totally silent on his Weymss' tactic of choice.
5) Waiting: The Great White Swamp area where Marion's force took refuge in NC meant little food and still plenty of mosquitoes .. but in spite of this, those who followed Marion saw an unwavering character regardless of the situation at hand .. his demeanor was quiet and subdued .. malaria was soon and issue and Marion was looking for an excuse to get back into SC ... he was about to get his wish ...
dad
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