The Pursuit of Francis Marion

Lesson Overview

Help the Patriot Cause!! - The following letter is an “imagined correspondence” between Colonel Francis Lord Rawdon, British commanding officer of the British outpost at Camden, and Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, head of the British dragoons, a mounted cavalry unit who harassed SC citizens and partisan fighters.  The “pretend correspondence” has been censored by the writer in an attempt to relay secret information about the American rebel Francis Marion, and British movements in the upcountry of SC.  Therefore, certain words have been purposely blackened to prevent the “patriot enemy” from decoding the information should the letter be apprehended.  

Students however, have an advantage that would have been unavailable to American patriots.  Using their textbook, the ETV Hall of Fame video, and listed vocabulary, students should try to decode the correspondence, choosing terms that will make the meaning of the letter understandable. Flash cards with vocabulary terms and definitions have been created to help students in their understanding of the vocabulary, and to help them decipher the coded correspondence.