Dear Reader:
I can’t help myself-this retired history teacher wants to share a revolutionary tale today about one of South Carolina’s ” Favorite Sons.”
General Francis Marion-better known in history as the ” Swamp Fox” for using hit and run/ guerrilla tactics successfully against the British in South Carolina!
He used Hampton Plantation as a place of refuge when exhausted from skirmishes and battles. At that time Daniel Horry and his wife Harriott ( Pinckney -daughter of Eliza Lucas Pinckney… the ” indigo girl”) all lived at the plantation. They risked their own lives feeding and hiding Marion when he appeared.
After the revolution the house changed hands several times until it came into the Rutledge family.
It would end up being home to little Archie Rutledge ( Archibald Rutledge) South Carolina ‘s first poet laureate. )
He heard many stories as a boy growing up there but the ones with the ” Swamp Fox” fascinated him -especially the tale of Marion and the Chippendale armchair.
Growing up at Hampton there were always mysteries about the house that Archie couldn’t understand. One was a broken armchair near the massive fireplace. The left arm of the chair had fallen off and was kept in a nearby closet.
When Archie asked his father about it… his father explained that at one time Hampton had served as headquarters to Francis Marion. After one of his forays, he fell asleep in that very chair when British commander Tarleton surprised him. Startled he jumped up breaking the arm off the chair.
” Did Tarleton get him” asked Archie?
” Oh no… the Colonel smiled… Marion used the secret passageway that lead to the back of the house, jumped on his horse, swam the river, and escaped into the wilds of the Santee Delta.
After a moment little Archie asked… ” Well dad… that is interesting and all but why haven’t you fixed the arm on the chair?”
“Oh” said his father… ” I always thought it would be ” sacrilegious” to repair what General Marion had broken.”
So until tomorrow…stories passed down from generation to generation are the best history stories!
All my grandchildren have been in Florida over spring break-the Turners at Disney World
And Walsh and Mollie joined her sister and family-enjoying the pool ocean and fishing!! It wasn’t the Old Man and the Sea but two bits and their fish!
” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh