Francis Marion was born in 1732 in what is now South Carolina. When he was a toddler he was small, skinny, weak, and frequently sick. It was said that he was no bigger than a lobster. He was sick a lot because of the swampy areas he grew up in. As he got older he played in the swamps a lot, which is probably the reason why he knew the swamps so well. He learned about the entire local Indians and how they survived in the swamp. It was said the he literally knew the swamps like the back of his hand and never got lost.
             When he got to the age of fifteen he wanted to be a sailor and against his parents will he set on a ship headed for the West Indies. On this trip the ship sank and along with several other crewman he was stranded at sea until the lifeboat finally hit dry land. Marion really got lucky because he didn't know how to swim.
             In 1760 he became the lieutenant of a militia in the Cherokee War. He proved that he was a very good horsemen and marksmen which really did help later on in his life. After this small war Marion decided that he would settle down to a small farmers life. He became very successful and owned a lot of land.
             When Marion realized that the revolutionary war was going to become he came out of retirement. Like most soldiers in the revolutionary war he considered himself a patriot and a man that dearly cherished his freedom. Since he had some experience in early military battles he was made captain of the Continental Army. Because of his success he grew more and more important in the ranks. He went from Captain to Major to Colonel and eventually General.
             His group of soldiers was a raggedy group of tough guys who had bad uniforms, poor equipment, and bad attitudes. Marion believed that the only way to defeat the British was to use guerilla tactics. Many of his trooped were dreary of the idea of guerilla tactics. To them it was cowardly and not honorable to strike quickly and then retreat before giving t...