Marion, Francis (c. 1732–1795)

American military leader. He waged a successful guerrilla war against the British after the fall of Charleston 1780 during the American Revolution. Establishing his field headquarters in inaccessible areas, he became popularly known as the ‘Swamp Fox’. He played a major role in the American victory at Eutaw Springs 1781.

Marion was born in Berkeley County, South Carolina. In 1759 and 1761 he took part in attacks on the indigenous Cherokee people. He served in the South Carolina Senate after the War of American Independence, and in 1790 was a member of the state constitutional convention.