Francis Marion

This is Francis Marion (uscivilflags.org)

Hero is a very strong word. In my opinion, a hero is a person who puts others before themselves. A hero works hard to make things better for not only themselves but for all people. This is why people believe that Francis Marion is a great example of a hero. Francis Marion was a brave soldier who put his life on the line to fight for the rights of others.

Francis Marion was born on February 26, 1732. He grew up in Berkley County, South Carolina. He lived with his mom, Esther, dad, Gabriel, and his 5 brothers and sisters. He grew up to marry his cousin, Esther Videau, and they had no children. On February 27, 1795 one day after his sixty-third birthday, Francis Marion passed away.

The Swamp Fox, Simithsonian.com

Francis Marion showed great heroics throughout his life. When the American Revolutionary War began in 1775, Francis Marion became very involved in the Patriot cause. He was elected to the South Carolina Provincial Congress. This was the government of the colony that began after the royal authority lost power. He also fought in a number of the early battles in the South. One of these battles was at Fort Sullivan in February of 1776. Two years later in September of 1778, Marion was asked to be the commander of the South Carolina Second State Regiment. The next year, he fought with Benjamin Lincoln at the second Battle of Savannah. After the British Army won in Camden in August 1780, Francis Marion led a few night time raids against the British supply and communication line. He also raided small groups of British soldiers. People then named this type of fighting style as " guerrilla warfare". This also led to Marion getting the nickname "Swamp Fox". All of his hard work and sly ways paid off because in December of 1780, he was promoted to brigadier general. Francis Marion continued to show bravery and intelligence as a leader until the war ended.

http://answers.ask.com/Socitey/History/who_is_Fra)

Francis's life didn't end when the war was over. He used his work ethic to maintain his farm but still felt he needed to help do what was right. Even while farming, he led a peacetime militia brigade and served in the South Carolina Assembly. He openly opposed punishing Americans who had remained loyal to the British during the war. Also, at the age of fifty-four he finally married his cousin Esther. He lived a hard working life until he grew ill and passed away.

Francis Marion maintained the hope of Patriots in the Southern states during a very dark and scary time of the American Revolution. It was his bravery, willingness to fight for others, intelligence and perseverance that makes him a hero. He didn't seem to worry about losing his own life to protect the rights of others. He dedicated his life to the cause of freedom and proper treatment of others. It paid off.