General Francis Marion, the legendary American Revolutionary War figure, has been enshrined in books, television, and movies. Separating the mythos from the man is nearly impossible. Marion’s first biography was a collection of memoirs written several years after his death by Peter Horry, a close friend and subordinate in the army. Mason Weems, notable for his somewhat fanciful biography of George Washington, compiled the notes, expanded on them, and added his own embellishments. Later scholars have attempted to discern the facts, but the Horry/Weems biography is the only significant source of information about Marion’s life prior to proving himself as a capable partisan military leader. However, some points are clear: Marion’s decisive leadership, …show more content…
In June 1775, the South Carolina Provisional Congress voted to select officers for new Provincial troops that were eventually to become part of the regular army. Marion started as the second captain of the Second Regiment under William Moultrie. Marion had served under Moultrie during the French and Indian War, and the two men respected each other. By May 1778, Marion was promoted to colonel. Aside from a few spurts of activity, the troops under Marion’s command mostly strengthened fortifications and built new ones, moved and protected artillery and supplies, and performed other necessary, but monotonous, …show more content…
Marion’s militia, joined by Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee’s regulars, laid siege to the Fort from April 15, 1781 until April 23. Growing more restless and frustrated daily, Marion sought the advice of his officers, and Major Hezikiah Maham came up with a brilliant plan. Fort Watson sat atop an old Native American burial mound, and the surrounding trees had been cleared away, making any attacking force an easy target for the British forces inside. Maham’s idea was to build a simple tower of pine logs at night and place the best sharpshooters on a protected platform at the top of the tower. All the axes in the camp were put to immediate use, dragoons were sent to collect more from the surrounding area, and trees were felled, cut into appropriately sized pieces, and stacked ready for construction. Once it was dark, the men moved into firing range between the tree line and the fort. In silence, overnight they constructed a rectangular tower higher than the enemy’s rampart, about 30-feet-tall. They laid a floor across the top and added a shield of thick logs with notches for guns to poke through. Just before dawn, Marion sent the best riflemen to the top of the tower with orders to shoot the first redcoat they saw, but also, due to their very limited powder and ammunition, to only fire when they had a clear shot. Under cover from the sharpshooters, Marion sent a team to breach the wall of the fort followed closely by the infantry. The