The SAMS Lyceum of Martial and Societal Antediluvian Chronicles An addendum to The SAMS Sporran March 2012 Due to the length of this month’s article there will be no Scottish History Section. ​ It will return in next month’s edition.

​American History Francis Marion -The Swamp Fox

American History is full of icons of one sort or another. Some are real while others exist only in the fantasy of our minds. We have our mythical heroes; Paul Bunyon and his Blue Ox Babe, Pecos Bill and Slue Foot Sue, Huck Finn, Santa Claus, Rip Van Winkle, The Maid of The Mist, Old Stormalong, The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, Br’er Rabbit (and his secret laughing place) and my personal favorite, Hopalong Cassidy. Other mythical heroes were rooted in reality and were actual people; think of John Henry (the Steel Drivin’ Man), John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed), Martha Jane Canary (Calamity Jane) or Mary Hays (Molly ​ Pitcher). Then there are those that straddle the barrier between fact and fiction. Let’s start with my distant cousin, (1st cousin 5 times removed actually) David ​ Crockett. Little that is known about him is true. When he was running for political office there were apocryphal stories about life on the “frontier” and a play about him but those were written by his adversaries. After his time in public office he eventually faded from the collective conscience. He really didn’t become “famous” again until Walt Disney decided to make The King of the Wild Frontier-Davy Crockett. (He never went by Davy only David) ​ ​ There is another American icon who falls into the same niche - Francis Marion- The Swamp Fox. Like Crockett, little that was true was written about him during his lifetime. Although, that changed following his death. Much of that writing, like that of David Crockett, was noted more for its apocryphal anecdotes and readability than accuracy. A perfect example would be a story that became a painting. The AD 1820 painting by John Blake White is based on an alleged meeting at ​ ​ ​ Marion’s “headquarters”. The supposed meeting took place on Snow's Island in the Carolina swamp between himself and a British officer to discuss prisoner exchanges. Marion invites the officer to share their breakfast of roasted sweet potatoes. The officer is so taken with the Patriot’s dedication despite their lack of adequate provisions and uniforms that he resigned his commission and returned home to Great Britain to champion the rebels' cause.

Francis Marion by John Blake White ​ While on the surface it sounds like a delightful story and very forceful propaganda, one must consider the source. It was written by one M.L. “Parson” Weems whose ‘creative mind’ also invented the stories of George Washington throwing a coin across the Patapsco River and chopping down the cherry tree. The New York Times has described Weems as one of the "early hagiographers" of American literature​ ​ "who elevated the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion, into the American pantheon of heroes. (I’ll let you look up hagiographers.*) I leave you ​ ​ ​ to your own devices to ascertain the truthfulness of the story. The AD 2000 movie The Patriot was based, and I use the word advisedly, loosely, ​ ​ ​ extremely loosely on the life of Francis Marion. About the only accurate representations in the ​ movie were that it took place in South Carolina, his plantation was burned and there were several scenes that took place in the swamp. Otherwise, it is pure “Hollywood” fantasy. Let me present what we do know about Francis Marion. He was born on his family’s plantation in Berkeley County South Carolina about AD1732. ​Francis Marion was the ​ youngest of seven children. He died in AD1795 on his estate, Pond​ Bluff, near Eutaw Springs, (a site now beneath the waters of Lake Marion). He was buried at Belle Isle Plantation Cemetery in Berkeley County, South Carolina. He had no children. He was barely 5 feet tall. One of his men recalled that he was “rather below the middle stature, lean and swarthy. His body was well set, but his knees and ankles were badly formed. … He had a countenance remarkably steady; his nose was aquiline, his chin projecting; his forehead was large and high, and his eyes black and piercing.” His life was studded with events that would make any character in “graphic novels” green with envy. When he was 15 he joined the crew of a ship headed for the West Indies. It never ​ made it there. It sank. With more than a simple nod to Moby Dick, it supposedly sank after a whale rammed it. The seven-man crew escaped in a lifeboat and spent a week at sea before they drifted ashore. Fortunately, he was in that lifeboat. Any dream he had of a swashbuckling life on the high seas foundered in that lifeboat. Francis decided to stick to the terra firma, managing his family's plantation until he joined the South Carolina Militia at the age of 25 to fight in the ​ French and Indian Wars from AD 1758- AD1762.

The French & Indian Wars ​ More than likely it was during the Cherokee War that he learned the Indian tactics of guerrilla warfare ie: employing small units of forces in hit and run attacks, dispersing troops in one place and reforming them in another, and employing the element of surprise. Shortly after the Battle of Lexington,The Provincial Congress of South Carolina, resolved to raise 1,500 infantry, in two regiments, besides a regiment of 450 horsemen. Marion was appointed captain in the second of these regiments.Their primary purpose was to defend Charleston. The fall of Charleston to the British left no Continental army presence in South Carolina. Dame Fortune smiled on Francis Marion again. While his regiment was present, he was not in Charleston at the time of the surrender. He was home recovering from an injury. He had attended a party in Charleston and as was the custom of the time all doors leading out were locked. To his dismay there were a series of toasts which led to excessive drinking, appalled by the situation he resolved to take his leave. His only option was to leap from a second-story window. As a result of his actions he suffered a broken ankle. Upon recovering, he recruited a resistance group of militia. The Marion Brigade wasn’t really a brigade, it was actually a small group of militia. General Washington had sent General Horatio Gates south to protect his southern flank. General Horatio Gates saw Marion as an embarrassment and got rid of him by giving him orders to scout the British and destroy boats, bridges, and other items that might be useful to the British. According to an officer in General Gates army: “They were “distinguished by small black leather caps and the wretchedness of their attire; their number did not exceed twenty men and boys, some white, some black, and all mounted, but most of them miserably equipped.” Once again fate played a role in Marion’s fortunes. Obeying his orders, he and his men left and avoided defeat in the battle at Camden. At this point, Marion had the only viable Patriot fighting force left in the South. Dutifully following his orders he embarked upon harassing operations, hitting British supply lines and disrupting communications between their posts. From that time until the arrival of General Nathanael Greene, the war's outcome in the south depended entirely on the militia, and the militia gradually turned the tide. During the war there were over 200 battles fought in South Carolina and many of them were led by Francis Marion and his brigade.

Marion then took to the swamps and began his campaign of guerrilla warfare. With small, mobile forces that varied in size from 20 to 150 men, Marion began a new and hitherto unheard of policy, as he destroyed boats the British might use, and commandeered food, horses and other property from the settlers. He had his troops issue receipts for each item to the owners. His gentlemanly actions quickly made Marion a hero and garnered support for his brigade. Many of these receipts were redeemed after the war, with the new state government usually paying in full. So why did Marion’s forces vary by such large numbers? Marion’s men actually had no official status. They were purely volunteers. They provided their own weapons, food and horses. Much of their supplies were captured from British or Loyalist armies. They were not paid by the government. It was their patriotism and desire to protect their land and families that motivated them to serve with Marion. While they were fighting against British occupation first and foremost it was their families, their homes and their land for which they were really fighting. Their families' welfare took precedence. They were likely to go home at planting or harvest time, or whenever family needs became acute, or simply when they became weary of fighting.

The Swamp Fox Foils The British from a mural in Manning SC ​ The actual number of men serving under Marion fluctuated and Marion had to plan his operations accordingly. According to his field notes more than once he became so disgusted with their casual coming and going that he considered giving up his command and going to Philadelphia to seek a Continental Army appointment. Marion favored surprise attacks at night. These served two purposes. The enemy was asleep and offered disorganized resistance when awakened. The second was that the enemy could no longer afford a “good nights” rest while on the march for fear of an attack. His raids were brief affairs. He would attack wreaking as much havoc as possible in the shortest period of time. When the British resistance began to form he would withdraw. It was on one of his very first night raids that Marion’s men learned a valuable lesson. They planned to attack a small British encampment. However, when they crossed a bridge near the camp the horses hoofed feet rattled against the wooden floorboards of the bridge alerting the British and ruining the surprise. The lesson they learned was to lay blankets over the bridge to muffle the sound of their horses' feet. The frustrated British frequently charged that it was not patriotism but the appeal of plunder that held his men together. Lord Cornwallis observed, "Colonel Marion had so wrought the minds of the people, partly by the terror of his threats and cruelty of his punishments, and partly by the promise of plunder, that there was scarcely an inhabitant between the Santee and the Pee Dee that was not in arms against us.” But in point of fact it was the British who issued the threats and punished the local inhabitants. Marion never allowed his men to act as bummers or freebooters. The record of his orders and punishments made it very clear: “Any soldier of any denomination who is found taking any article from any plantation either from white or black will be deemed a marauder & plunderer & shall suffer immediate death.” He is famed as the “father of modern guerrilla and maneuver warfare” because he used the Indian tactics of using natural cover, movement and surprise superbly against the British and loyalists in South Carolina. His tactics frustrated British efforts to mobilize loyalists in the Georgetown District. Between August AD 1780 and December AD1782, Marion gained national recognition for his actions at Great Savannah, Black Mingo, Tearcoat Swamp, and Georgetown. The British especially hated Marion and made repeated efforts to neutralize his small force. Finally, in November AD1780, Lord Cornwallis assigned his best cavalry officer to hunt down and destroy Marion and his men. British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, had already established a notorious reputation for himself. British historian Hugh Bicheno wrote "they all tortured prisoners, hanged fence-sitters, abused parole and flags of truce, and shot their own men when they failed to live up to the harsh standards they set.” Following the Battle at Waxalls Tarleton’s men massacred the ​ ​ surrendering Patriots. "Tarleton's quarter", actually meant ‘no quarter’ and thereafter became a common expression for refusing to take prisoners. This action earned him the sobriquet “The Butcher”.

Tarleton at The Battle of Waxalls ​ Marion led Tarleton’s troopers on a two month 26 mile chase through the swamps of South Carolina. Once again using his time honored tactics to evade and frustrate Tarlton’s dragoons. He always stayed just ahead of them enticing them to close and do battle. He used his rear guard in ‘holding operations’. They would turn suddenly and attack the British vanguard. As soon as the dragoons responded in force the rear guard would melt away leaving the British with no one to face in battle. This only added to Tarleton’s growing frustration. Marion continued his usual tactics of attacking at night. Naturally, the British would post senties to protect the encampment at night. With a majority of the troopers resting in their tents. This presented the perfect target for Marin’s brigade of militia. Their method of firing one round and moving swiftly to a new location deprived the sentries of a target. They were reduced to “ firing at the smoke.” The British uniforms also presented excellent targets even in the low light of night. They wore white knickers, white stockings, white white wests and bright red jackets. Their accessory straps were white and crossed over their red jackets creating an excellent target for the militia sharpshooters; “X marks the spot.” While some of the militia occupied the sentries other militia would shoot at the tents. Some inside might be wounded while others sought shelter on the ground, inhibiting the troopers from mounting a defense.Meanwhile another small group of militia would sneak into the corral and cut the reins of the tethered horses. Naturally, they frightened horses would bolt. Then fighting just long enough for the dragoons to mount a defense, Marion’s men slipped away quickly into the swamp. These attacks accomplished several useful outcomes. Tarleton’s dragoons were deprived of a restful night’s sleep. Their pursuit, if any, was hampered because they needed to “round up” their straying mounts. Like their counterparts the British horses were also deprived of a restful night. The frequent nighttime raids presented Tarleton with an additional tactical problem. He could not take the wounded or dead troopers with him. So he needed to commandeer wagons from the local populace to transport them to his base headquarters. Additionally, a patrol was needed to escort them back thus further depriving Tarleton of much needed troopers until they returned. Marion’s tactics were actually one of attrition. Slowly but surely Tarleton’s force was being reduced in size. Tarleton’s frustration mounted with each passing day. Moral became a problem as the troopers grew weary of the attacks and the ever present thought that they might be shot during the night weighed heavily on their minds.

The Swamp Fox in his native environment As his frustration turned to desperation Tarleton gave Marion his nom de guerre when he wrote “as for this old Swamp Fox,the Devil himself could not catch him!” So Francis Marion ​ ​ became “The Swamp Fox” and his local popularity among anti-British South Carolinians soared ensuring continual aid and comfort for the American cause. In contrast, Colonel Tarleton had alienated the colonial citizens with arbitrary confiscations of cattle and food stocks, wagons and carts without compensation. Due to the overwhelming loyalty of the populace Marion had excellent intelligence of any British presence. Conversely the intelligence gathering of the British was poor. Colonel Banastre Tarleton pursued Marion from November and December through 26 miles of treacherous swamp. After which he sullenly gave up and returned to Lord Cornwallis’ command, a defeated and angry soldier. His frustration with the unsuccessful pursuit of The Swamp Fox weighed heavily on his mind seemed to come to a head a month later at the Battle of Cowpens when his imprudent attack on the center of the Continental line, that cost him the battle On 14 December AD 1782 the British abandoned Charleston. So there was no longer a need for Marion’s brigade. When the time came for Marion to disband his men he could say with complete sincerity, “The general (Francis Marion) returns his warmest thanks to the officers and men who with un-wavered (sic) patience and fortitude have undergone the greatest fatigues and hardships and with a spirit and bravery which must ever reflect the highest honor on them. No citizens in the world have ever done more than they have.” It was true of them. And it was true of him. The Swamp Fox returned home to find his plantation burned to the ground along with all of his possessions. He borrowed money to rebuild his plantation. After the war in AD1783, Marion married his cousin, Mary Esther Videau. Marion served several terms in the South Carolina State Senate. In AD1784, in recognition of his services, he was made commander of Fort Johnson, South Carolina, a virtual sinecure position, (a position requiring little or no work but ​ giving the holder status or financial benefit.) ​with a salary of $500 per annum. In​ AD1790, Marion ​ ​ helped write the South Carolina state constitution, and then retired from public life. After a long decline in health, Francis Marion died at his plantation, Pond Bluff, on 27February AD1795. He was buried at Belle Isle Plantation Cemetery in Berkeley County, South Carolina.

The Francis Marion Grave Site ​

Historical writer Sean Busick, a professor of American history at Athens State University in Alabama, states “that based on the facts, Marion deserves to be remembered as one of the heroes of the War for Independence.His reputation is certainly well deserved," Though ​ things looked dire for the Americans after Charleston fell, Marion's cunning, resourcefulness and determination helped keep the cause of American independence alive in the South. Amy Crawford of The Smithsonian Magazine wrote that Francis Marion was a man of his times: he owned slaves, and he fought in a brutal campaign against the Cherokee Indians. While not noble by today's standards, Marion's experience in the French and Indian War prepared him for more admirable service. He opposed punishing colonists who had remained loyal to the British during the war. “Championing amnesty for the Loyalists was among the most admirable things he ever did," wrote Sean Busick. General Nathanael Greene praised Marion's leadership when he wrote, "Surrounded on every side by a superior force, hunted from every quarter with veteran troops you (Marion) have found means to elude their attempts and to keep alive the expiring hopes of an oppressed militia, when all succour seemed to be cut off." Postscript: Speaking only as a student of History, in the course of my life I have found that one must be careful when considering other’s actions. This is especially true when they lived during another era where the Mores (values) were much different than some of today’s Mores. The question we must address is how did he or she behave in relation to the Mores prevalent at that time? So where does that leave us with regard to Francis Marion?Yes, he fought in the brutal French and Indian Wars (Actually it was the Cherokee Wars which were a part of the French & Indian Wars) Yes, he was a Revolutionary War hero. Yes, he owned a plantation and by extrapolation owned slaves. Let’s take a glimpse at the conflict known as the Seven Years War, the Great War for the ​ Empire, or the French and Indian War. In the Carolinas, it was known as the Cherokee War. We have no idea of what the Cherokee called it. The Native Americans did participate in both ​ massacres and torture of captives. There are recorded incidents of both regular army and volunteer militia behaving in an identical manner usually in retribution by a people that took the biblical fiat “an eye for an eye” quite literally for Native American “irregularities”. Did he partake in any untoward actions against his enemies? There are no verifiable accounts that I was able to find that describe any actions by Marion other than those normally associated with the kind of fighting that occurred during the French and Indian war. I was unable to ascertain if he was part of the Lyttleton, Montgomerie or Grant Expeditions. Lyttleton’s soiree was waylaid by an outbreak of smallpox. Both Montgomerie and Grant’s shindigs resulted in the burning and pillaging of several Chreokee towns and villages. Mongomerie’s expedition encountered a Cherokee ambush and returned to Charleston. It appears that Grant’s little jaunts contained militia and Marion’s years of service seem to coincide with Grant’s excursions. It is possible that Marion was with Grant in September AD1758 at the disastrous attempt to retake Fort Duquesne from the Cherokee and his AD1761 intrusion in into Chreokee territory. Again, most of the “retaliation” consisted of burning villages and crops destroying the Cherokees ability to wage war. (For the record it was the Virginia Militia that in AD1758 carried out “reprisals against Chreokee women they were also involved in an incident that included the killing and scalping between 30 and 40 of the Cherokee warriors.) As far as his actions during the First Revolutionary War. His tactics of ambush were a long established form of warfare dating back to a time before we began to write events down. Neither were there any references to mistreating prisoners. Indeed, at the war's end he advocated leniency for both British and Loyalist colonists. Which leads us to the question of how can we address his actions toward persons in servitude? We have no way of ascertaining exactly how he treated his slaves. But we do know how he treated Oscar. By way of example I ask you to study the first picture carefully. You will notice that there is one of Marin’s men seemingly preparing breakfast. That is ‘Oscar’. If we know little about Francis Marion we know even less about Oscar. He has been identified: as Oscar Marion, faithful servant, and as Oscar, Marion's personal slave. So which was he? According to genealogist Tina Jones, his distant relative, “Oscar is the African-American soldier cooking the sweet potato breakfast in John Blake White's painting. Oscar likely helped with the cooking and mending clothes, but he would also have fought alongside Marion," From a strictly Historical perspective, we have no way of knowing if Oscar had any say in whether or not he went on campaign with Marion, although his men were all volunteers. There are also several references validating the claim that Marion's brigade was composed of both black and white volunteers. One could conclude that Oscar was a volunteer. One would safely assume that if he had wanted to escape involuntary servitude he could have easily done so. He could have allowed himself to be “captured” during battle or simply not returned to their basecamp in the swamp following a skirmish. Taking another approach, if he wasn’t a volunteer and he didn’t have a horse he probably would have been left in camp while the others went off to fight. What would have prevented him from simply walking away? Keep in mind all of Marion’s men volunteered and had horses and that would have included Oscar Marion. Therefore the logical conclusion is that Oscar was there voluntarily and by logical deduction he was a freeman. Some writers have even pointed out that he could have been the inspiration for the African-American portrayed in the “movie” The Patriot. Historians know very little about Oscar, but the few details of his story that we do know only add to the mystique of the Swamp Fox legend.

*Let it not be said that I don’t have compassion.- A hagiography is a type of biography that ​ puts the subject in a very flattering light. Hagiographies are often about saints.

​From The Mass Deck Wenona’s Seafood Sandwiches Ingredients: 1 cup cooked flaked fish 3 hard cooked chopped eggs ​ 1/3 up chop olives 1.3 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped dill pickle 1 Tablespoon horseradish Dash pepper

Method: Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Salt to taste and chill. Serve mixture as ​ sandwich spread, in tomato cups, or in lettuce leaves as a salad. Makes 6 servings. Peas & Noodles ​ Ingredients: 2 cups uncooked noodles 1/2 cup chopped onion 3 Tablespoons butter ​ 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup creamed small curd cottage cheese 1 Tablespoon poppy seed 3/4 teaspoon salt, dash pepper 1 81/2 oz can peas drained, 2 Tablespoon grated parmesan cheese Method: Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain in large pan. Sauté onion in butter ​ until tender. Combine sour cream, cottage cheese, poppy seed, salt and pepper add to onions. Stir in noodles and peas, heat through. Add parmesan cheese. Scottish Summer Salad Ingredients: 3tbsp olive oil 450g (1lb) British new potatoes, scrubbed and halved ​ 1 red onion, cut into chunks 1 green pepper, cut into chunks 1 yellow pepper, cut into chunks 1 courgette, cut into chunks 450g (1lb) Aberdeen Angus rump steak, cut into strips 1tbsp balsamic vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper Method: Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Heat the oil in a roasting tin then add the potatoes, onion, pepper and courgette and season well. Roast for 30 minutes. Toss the beef in the balsamic vinegar and add to the roast vegetables. Mix well and continue to cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until the beef is cooked to your taste. Adjust the seasoning, allow to cool slightly then serve.

Scottish lobster bisque

Ingredients: 2kg Scottish lobster 500ml seafood or fish stock 80g unsalted butter ​ 4 tomatoes, finely chopped 3 carrots, sliced 2 celery stalks, finely chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 shallot, finely chopped 250 ml of brandy 150 ml double cream 1 small bunch of tarragon, chopped 1 small bunch of flat leaf fresh parsley, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped Salt and pepper to season

Method: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add the lobsters and cook until they turn lightly red. Transfer the lobsters to an ice bowl to cool. Remove the meat from the claws and tails keeping the shells. Remove the lobster tails and set aside. Cut the body in half and extract the meat. Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the tomato, celery, onion and shallot and cook until the sauté becomes shiny and translucent – about 15 minutes. Turn up the stove to a medium heat and add the crushed lobster shells. Keep on stirring for 5 minutes, then add 150 ml of brandy, the fish stock and cook until it is reduced by half – another 15-20 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl, discarding the solids. Blend all the mixture until smooth and velvety. Stir in the cream, chopped tarragon and parsley and bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix in the remaining butter and brandy. Add the lobster meat reserving a few of the larger pieces for garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add fresh chopped parsley and serve with homemade croutons.

Tart’ n’ Sand Cocktail Ingredients: 4 marasca cherries 3/4 oz. 12-year-old single malt scotch whisky ​ 3/4 oz. blood orange liqueur 3/4 oz. Lillet Rouge 1/2 oz. fresh pink grapefruit juice 1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice 2 dashes orange bitters Garnish: orange wheel Method: In a shaker, muddle the cherries. Add the remaining ingredients and ice, and shake ​ until well-chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange wheel.

Scottish Crackers This section features humorous contributions. If you told a joke at the last meeting and wish to share it or you have a humorous anecdote please send it in. This month I am introducing a new section, The Holidays of the Month If we lived in ancient Rome, March was the first month of the new year. March 1- National Peanut Butter Lover's Day ​ March 2- Dr. Suess’ Birthday- he invented the word Nerd ​ March 3 National Anthem Day March 4 National Hug a G.I. Day March 6 Oreo Cookie Day March 9 National Meatball Day March 13 National K9 Veterans Day March 17 St.Patricks Day- He was an Italian born in Scotland March 20 Spring Equinox Ostara (Eostre) Celtic Goddess of Spring March 22- Buddy Check March 23 National Puppy Day March 25 Maryland Day March 29 National VietNam Vets Day March 31 National Crayon Day

Scottish Words of Wisdom Twelve highlanders and a bagpipe make a rebellion.

Anyone wishing to contribute an article, news, a joke or humorous anecdote or other contributions, news, suggestions for articles or genteel comments can send them to:

​ [email protected] ​ nd Do a BUDDY CHECK on the 22 o​ f Every Month. ​