General Greene to General Marion: Your State Is Invaded, Your All Is at Stake

The following guiding questions will guide students as they work through the lesson progression:
1. How are Francis Marion and his militia remembered?
2. How does the letter from Nathanael Greene portray Marion and his men?

Day 1:  Paper Ball Battle and Francis Marion and the Legend of The Swamp Fox

• Activate interest and construct prior knowledge by holding a “paper ball battle.”  Students will line up in rows on opposing sides with paper balls in hand.  Allow them to “battle” with the paper balls.  Then, have another battle.  This time one side will be led by Francis Marion and they will hide in the “swamp” (under desks).  Discuss the two battle tactics and which was more successful.  Discuss which was considered nobler.
• Read Francis Marion and the Legend of The Swamp Fox.  Discuss the author as a secondary source.  Discuss the term legend and folklore.

Day 2:  Song of Marion’s Men

• Have students work in pairs or in groups to complete the “Before Reading” portion of the examination guide.
• Read the poem, see Song of Marion’s Men, aloud together.  Discuss any vocabulary that students may have difficulty understanding. 
• Have students read questions 6-9 of the document examination guide to guide them as they read and discuss.  Have students reread “Song of Marion’s Men” in pairs or groups and answer questions 6-9. 
• Discuss how Marion and his men are portrayed in the poem.  How does this compare to the book read on day 1, Francis Marion and the Legend of the Swamp Fox?  Discuss when the poem was written and by whom.  Ask students, “Did this person experience this?  Is this a secondary or primary source?”

Day 3: (observed lesson)

• Explain to students that many of the stories told about Francis Marion have been passed down by word of mouth, like folklore.  Therefore, many facts about Francis Marion have been exaggerated and changed.  Today, they will examine a primary source to try to find some facts from the folklore.
• Before reading the letter from General Greene to General Marion, have students use the document examination guide to “preview” the letter in pairs or small groups.  Discuss the author and date of the letter.  Ask, “Did this person experience the Revolutionary War?  Is this a primary or a secondary source? Which source is more reliable?” 
• Introduce new vocabulary to help students understand the letter as they read: deserting, task, leave, disagreeable, commencement, invaded, distress, render, amusements, and besieging. 
• Read the letter aloud to students.
• Have students read questions 6-10 from the document examination guide before reading the letter again.  In pairs or groups, have students reread the letter and answer the questions.
• Discuss how the letter portrays Francis Marion?  His men?  Have students share questions they have about the letter.
• Have students complete a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the primary source to the secondary source. 

Historical Background Notes
As a key figure in the American Revolution, General Francis Marion, best known as the “Swamp Fox,” surprise attacked the British forces in South Carolina, destroying communication and supply lines.  Born in 1732 at Goatfield Plantation in St. John’s Parish, Berkley, he grew up in the swampland of South Carolina (Palmer, 6).  This knowledge of the land would become a great benefit to him as the leader of a militia who hid in the swamps and lived off of the land.

Marion’s fighting career began when he fought the Cherokee in the Blue Ridge region of the state.  Later, when the American Revolution began, Marion served as captain in the Second South Carolina Regiment.  He and his men fought in the famous battle of Sullivan’s Island or “The Battle of Fort Moultrie” as it became named for Colonel William Moultrie (Palmer, 8-11).

By 1780, Marion was promoted to Lt. Colonel Francis Marion, Commandment of the Second Regiment.  Due to a broken ankle, he left Charleston shortly before it fell into the hands of the British (Palmer, 12-13).  Back home near the Santee River, Marion led a small militia made up mostly of farmers.  There they would hide in the swamps of the Peedee during the day, surprise attack the British as they traveled between Charleston and Camden which were both conquered by the British, and retreated back to the swamps.  The terrain of the swamps was unfamiliar to the British troops, thus giving Marion and his men an advantage.  As Marion’s brigade attacked, they would steal goods and arms from the British and free American prisoners.  It was at this time that British general Tarleton, is credited for giving Marion his nickname, Swamp Fox (Heider, 11). After chasing Marion and his men for some twenty-six miles and arriving at Ox Swamp, he stopped and said “Come boys!  Let’s go back and we will catch the Gamecock.  But as for this d—d swamp fox, the Devil himself could not catch him!” (Heider, 11).   

In 1781, Governor Rutledge promoted Francis Marion to Brigadier General.  Nathanael Green had replaced Horatio Gates as commander of the forces in the south.  Greene sent Light Horse Harry Lee and his cavalry to help Marion.  The two men captured Fort Watson (Palmer, 32)

The British finally left Charleston on December 14, 1782.  He returned home to Pond Bluff to find it in ruins.  He rebuilt his life and later served in the State Senate.  He died in 1795 (Palmer 45-49). 

There are many men and women who helped fight the American Revolution who are “unsung heroes.” However, Francis Marion is one that has received much of the glory for his partisan battle tactics (Edgar, 241).  Much of what is said about Francis Marion is folklore.  The poem “Song of Marion’s Men” is an example of the folklore written about him, though loosely based on fact.  Marion has become a historical hero for his bravery and commitment to the birth of our nation. 

Teacher Reflections
Though it has been challenging locating primary sources that address the standards I am responsible for teaching and finding the instructional time it takes to examine these sources, it has been very rewarding. My students have been more engaged in social studies this year than ever before. Without prompting, they are seeking out books from the library on slavery and the Revolutionary War, topics we have studied. They are finding letters and photographs in those books and sharing them with me and their classmates as “primary sources.” With great hope, my students won’t “lose” all the content I have attempted to teach them this year. Hopefully, they will become life-long learners of history. They shouldn’t “lose it” because they have “used it” through examining primary sources.

Examples of Students Work
Student Document Examination Guide

• http://teachingushistory.org/pdfs/StudentDocumentExaminationGuide.pdf
• http://teachingushistory.org/pdfs/StudentDocumentExaminationGuide2.pdf
• http://teachingushistory.org/pdfs/StudentDocumentExaminationGuide3.pdf
• http://teachingushistory.org/pdfs/StudentDocumentExaminationGuide4.pdf
• http://teachingushistory.org/pdfs/StudentDocumentExaminationGuide5.pdf
• http://teachingushistory.org/pdfs/StudentDocumentExaminationGuide6.pdf

Student Venn Diagram

• http://teachingushistory.org/pdfs/StudentVennDiagram_000.pdf
• http://teachingushistory.org/pdfs/StudentVennDiagram2_000.pdf
• http://teachingushistory.org/pdfs/StudentVennDiagram3_000.pdf   

Francis Marion and the Legend of the Swamp Fox - Paperback – October 15, 2005
https://www.amazon.com/Francis-Marion-Legend-Swamp-Fox/dp/0966711459
 

The student will complete a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the information gained from a secondary source, the “Song of Marion’s Men,” to a primary source, General Greene to General Marion.  A rubric will be used to score this assignment, see Venn diagram. (Rubric found in resources)