The Swamp Fox of the Revolution

He's not as famous as Washington, Revere, Henry or Hale, but Francis Marion—the Swamp Fox—played a not-insignificant part in American history. He's considered one of the originators of modern guerilla warfare and a precursor of the various special operations groups in the military. Modern audiences are more likely to know of his exploits from the loosely-based Mel Gibson movie, The Patriot.

Holbrook's history will be quite readable for young adults, its targeted audience. He makes it read like an adventure story as Marion wages war against the British through the swamps and back woods of South Carolina. You get a real sense of how a band of highly motivated irregulars, refusing to follow the rules of "honorable" warfare, can be show more extremely effective and strike fear into their enemies.

Some of the harsher aspects of his methods are glossed over...aspects that opponents would probably describe with very different labels than the "American Hero" sentiments of this story. For that reason, readers with British or Tory sympathies will probably find the book less pleasing but, given the age of the intended readers, it struck me as a reasonable decision—discussions of terrorist tactics not necessarily being a good thing for a pre-teen.

Given how little kids seem to know about history today, I give it a mild recommendation. show less

Back in print! This interesting and entertaining story is a biography of Revolutionary War General Francis Marion and his significant but oft-forgotten role in winning our independence. Marion is a very interesting character I should have learned about in my history classes in grade school! He fought the British against what seemed like impossible odds (in the Southern Colonies) and ended up playing a very significant role in winning the British surrender. His courage and mercy (he allows his prisoners go free if they promise not to rejoin the other side) are admirable.

This book outlines the role of Francis Marion in the Revolutionary War. Marion is an individual who is often overlooked as a key player. Marion provide significant resistance to the British in the South. This was done at a time when there were virtually no other obstacles to British advancement. Marionw as able to check the advance to a degree that held up the British long enough for American forces to arrive.
This book is not an in depth look at Marion. It is, however, a book that provides a good overview for children. My 8 year old daughter loved the book. It is well written, and is well worth the read. Children, or even adults who are not familiar with Marion's exploits, will enjoy this book. I recommend it to anyone who fits these show more categories. show less

1732-1795