Origins & Early Life

Brigadier General Francis Marion (c. 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the "Swamp Fox", was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. During the American Revolution, Marion supported the Patriot cause and enlisted in the Continental Army, fighting against British forces in the southern theater of the American Revolutionary War from 1780 to 1781. Though he never commanded a field army or served as a commander in a major engagement, Marion's use of irregular warfare against the British has led him to be considered one of the fathers of guerrilla and maneuver warfare, and his tactics form a part of the modern-day military doctrine of the U.S.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. Francis Marion was born in Berkeley County, Province of South Carolina, around 1732. His father Gabriel Marion was a Huguenot who emigrated to the Thirteen Colonies from France at some point prior to 1700 due to the Edict of Fontainebleau and became a planter. Marion was born on his family's plantation, and at approximately the age of 15, he was hired on a merchant ship bound for the West Indies which sank on his...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Jean-Honoré Fragonard — Contemporary (Born in 1732) (1732): Master of the Rococo era, known for exuberant, intimate, and erotic genre scenes.
• Joseph Haydn — Contemporary (Born in 1732) (1732): Austrian composer, pivotal in Classical forms like the Symphony and String Quartet.
• Antonio José de Sucre — Contemporary (Born in 1795) (1795): Venezuelan general and politician, key leader in South America's struggle for independence.
• François-André Danican Philidor — Contemporary (Died in 1795) (1795): Pioneering French composer and celebrated chess master of the Enlightenment era.
• George Peabody — Contemporary (Born in 1795) (1795): American financier and philanthropist, considered the father of modern philanthropy.
• Arsène Houssaye — Shared historical date (02-26 · Died) (1896): French novelist, poet, and man of letters, active from the 1830s to the 1890s.
• Edward G. Robinson Jr. — Shared historical date (02-26 · Died) (1974): American actor known for his stage and screen performances throughout the 1930s to 1970s.
• Alan Guth — Shared historical date (02-27 · Born) (1947): Pioneering cosmologist known for developing the theory of cosmic inflation.
• Constantine the Great — Shared historical date (02-27 · Born) (272): Roman Emperor who legalized Christianity and founded Constantinople.
• James Boswell — Historical peer (Died in 1795) (1795): Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, famed for his work on Samuel Johnson.
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• February 27 (02-27) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on February 27