Witherspoon’s Ferry was a key gathering point for Patriot forces in August 1780. The Williamsburg militia, many of them veterans who had broken British paroles, waited here for leadership. Major General Horatio Gates sent Francis Marion, then without a formal command, who arrived around August 17 with just twenty men. From this riverside site, Marion quickly took charge—some men already trusted him, others were skeptical of the small, limping officer who would soon earn his reputation as the “Swamp Fox.”
Marion’s first mission from here was to destroy boats along the Santee River, crippling British supply lines. Witherspoon’s Ferry soon served as a launch point for key actions, including the Battle of Black Mingo and a skirmish with British forces under Lt. Col. Welbore Ellis Doyle. As many as 2,500 men would cycle through Marion’s partisan ranks. Today, this site remains one of several tied to his legacy—others include Snow’s Island, Port’s Ferry, and the Black Mingo Creek crossing.
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Stories from Witherspoon's Ferry
Francis Marion was a skilled military leader during the American Revolutionary War, known for his guerilla tactics and strategic maneuvers in the Southern Campaign. His contributions to the war effort and his enduring legacy as a symbol of American resilience and military ingenuity remain today.
By the time of the Revolutionary War, Francis Marion, best known to history as the Swamp Fox, was acquainted with both conventional and irregular warfare.
At the Battle of Camden, British General Lord Cornwallis routed Gates’s army and captured nearly 1,000 men, including their supplies, baggage, and artillery. There was no organized retreat, and Gates rode near 170 miles north in three days to flee. It destroyed his reputation and his new southern army.