Francis Marion and his guerrilla warfare bands helped in ninety-nine percent of the wars of The American Revolution ("ORACLE ThinkQuest").He also turned the tides greatly in favor of the colonies. He participated in the Battle of Half Way Swamp and the Battle of Nelson's Ferry. All of these battles, in which he used guerrilla warfare tactics; he led partisan bands to aid the victory of the Continental Army against the British. In the Battle of Half Way Swamp, Major McLeroth and his British Regular troops met at Nelson’s Ferry to recruit for the Royal Fusiliers, who departed Charleston for Camden. McLeroth was to escort them to the High Hills. General Marion, with 700 troops, intercepted McLeroth’s group and began driving in the pickets. During the night the British stole away, leaving their equipment and supplies behind. Marion sent James and his cavalry afterthem. James fired on the British at Singleton’s Mill but quickly departed the mill area when he learned the Singletons had smallpox. In the Battle of Nelson’s Ferry, Marion was ordered by General Gates to roam the Santee burning boats so as to isolate Camden from Charleston. Also, he withheld this information from his sixty troops and continued to burn boats. He attacked after dark and killed or captured twenty-three of the escorts and released all the prisoners, most of whom elected not to join Marion's Militia. This is thought to be the first time Cornwallis heard of General Marion ( “Francis Marion Trail Discover History Francis Marion”).
Francis Marion's Involvement in the American Revolution
Francis Marion, a very famous and well-known partisan fighter, turned the tides of the Revolution in the colonists favor.