Pineville in Berkeley County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Elusive Francis Marion: The Stuff of Legend

Photographed by Anna Inbody, March 24, 2012

1. The Elusive Francis Marion: The Stuff of Legend Marker

Inscription. For what he did in less than three years during the Revolutionary War, Francis Marion won enduring fame. By the nineteenth century he was remembered as the Swamp Fox, the partisan commander who always eluded the British and their Loyalist allies.

Marion's achievements are significant and real, but some of his fame rests upon exaggerated stories in a biography by Mason Weems, the biographer of George Washington who fabricated the famous story of Washington chopping down a cherry tree. Much about Marion remains unknown, and the Swamp Fox, obscured by legend, is almost as elusive to history as he was to the British.

Erected by South Carolina State Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary.

Location. 33° 27.231′ N, 80° 5.202′ W. Marker is in Pineville, South Carolina, in Berkeley County. It is on General Francis Marion Avenue, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pineville SC 29468, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry

and in Santee Cooper Country.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Elusive Francis Marion: Guerrilla Commander (within shouting distance of this marker); Francis Marion’s Grave (within shouting

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distance of this marker); Francis Marion / Francis Marion's Grave (approx. one mile away); Maude E. Callen Clinic (approx. 1.8 miles away); Village of Eadytown (approx. 2.1 miles away); Village of Pineville (approx. 3.8 miles away); Maham Plantation / Col. Hezekiah Maham (approx. 3.9 miles away); Maham Plantation (approx. 4.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pineville.

Photographed by Anna Inbody, March 24, 2012

2. Overview

Marker is behind the State Roadside Marker

Picture on the marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Anna Inbody, March 24, 2012

3. Picture on the marker

One of Weems' most enduring stories tells of a British officer in Marion's camp under a flag of truce. After Marion fed him his troops' usual fare of sweet potatoes, according to Weems, the officer concluded that such men could not be beaten and resigned his commission.

Photographed by Anna Inbody, March 24, 2012

4. Picture on the marker

Falling trees destroyed Marion's marble tombstone, pictured at right, prompting calls for funds to replace it. In 1893 the state responded by erecting the existing granite monument over the remains of the original marker. Courtesy of Cornell University Library, Making of America Digital Collection

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2012, by Anna Inbody of Columbia, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,064 times since then and 82 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 28, 2012, by Anna Inbody of Columbia, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.