Celebrated ‘Swamp Fox’ gets his day in Georgetown on March 2

Celebrated ‘Swamp Fox’ gets his day in Georgetown on March 2

The public is invited to celebrate Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, famously known as the “Swamp Fox,” during a day of free events on Saturday, March 2, in Georgetown on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast®.

The Francis Marion Living History Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at four different locations in the historic city, all within walking distance of each other: Francis Marion Park (named after, of course, the famous Georgetown County resident and American icon), Joseph Rainey Park, the Georgetown County Museum, and Winyah Auditorium.

There will be Colonial arts and crafts vendors and children’s activities from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Francis Marion Park, located at Front and Broad streets in Georgetown; a Living History Camp from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with musket-firing demonstrations at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. at Rainey Park, located at Front and King streets in Georgetown; and an introduction to the proposed Francis Marion Interpretive Center at Georgetown County Museum, located at 120 Broad St., from 5 to 6 p.m. To cap off the day, there will be a special presentation titled “Francis Marion (The Swamp Fox), History or Hollywood,” presented by Scott Kauffman, professor of history at Francis Marion University from 7-8 p.m. at the Winyah Auditorium, located at 1200 Highmarket St.

These events, which are free and open to the public, are sponsored by the Georgetown County 250 Committee, the Georgetown County Museum, the Winyah Auditorium, and the Georgetown County Library.

GC250 is working in concert with the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250) to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and to promote South Carolina’s pivotal role in the war. The Revolutionary War started on July 4, 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence and ended on September 3, 1783, with the Treaty of Paris.

Ken Baeszler, chair of GC250, said although the group has been involved in other events, this is its first large “kickoff” event. He credits event co-chairs Paige Sawyer and Corinne Hoch with organizing this special day.

“Francis Marion was one of the great partisan leaders in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War,” Baeszler said. “Although he was born in what is present day Berkeley County, he grew up right here in Georgetown. We celebrate Francis Marion on (or near) the anniversary of his death, which was Feb. 27, 1795.”

Baeszler said that as a port town, Georgetown played a pivotal role in shaping the outcome of the Revolution, and that role was played out over many years and in many different ways.

“It wasn’t a one-time event on July 4, 1776,” he said. “Consequently, we plan to hold many events over the next few years that will celebrate, educate and inspire those in our community and visitors alike. Ours is an exciting and dramatic story that involves all of this area’s inhabitants.”

He said in addition to planning events, the GC250 Committee is also working to identify important sites and people involved in the American Revolution to be highlighted as part of the anniversary celebration – and beyond. The sites in Georgetown County may be added to others in the state that are part of the Liberty Trail.

Brigadier Gen. Francis Marion was an American military officer, planter, and politician to who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. During the American Revolution, Marion supported the Patriot cause and enlisted in the Continental Army, fighting against British forces in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War from 1780 to 1781.

Though he never commanded a field army or served as a commander in a major engagement, Marion’s use of irregular warfare against the British has led him to be considered one of the fathers of guerrilla and maneuver warfare, earning him the name of the “Swamp Fox” for his cunning ways to attack the British Army.

Michael Glazier, head of the Francis Marion Living History group, said he is excited to be part of the celebration of Francis Marion on March 2. The Living History group will include eight interpreters serving as soldiers from the Revolutionary War, including Glazier as Marion, some as American Continental soldiers, and some as Red Coats that occupied Georgetown for much of the war.

The soldiers will be dressed in period clothing, including hand-made, museum authentic wool coats and cotton pants worn in Colonial times.

“And boy, those British coats have 42 buttons and button trim that takes about 20 minutes to sew on each button!” he said.

He added that he enjoys playing the role of Marion, who got his nickname as the Swamp Fox by a British general.

“He fought in the French and Indian War, and learned ‘modern partisan / guerrilla’ warfare fighting from the conflicts with the Native Americans here in South Carolina,” Glazier explained. “He would use these skills very successfully against the British.”

He said the British called his style of warfare very “ungentlemanly.”

“They could never catch him because he and his men knew the Lowcountry, its swamps and trails,” Glazier said. “He knew he could transport small horses on flat-bottomed boats through the Lowcountry to surprise the British and disappear so quickly British soldiers could not follow them. Hence the nickname given by a British commander: ‘Swamp Fox’.”

Volunteers and vendors who would like to participate in Francis Marion Living History Day can call Corinne Hoch at 201-452-0270 or Paige Sawyer at 843-546-3745. For more information about the event, visit the GC250 Facebook page.

By Clayton Stairs / tourism manager for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast®