Historic Site

Francis Marion Tomb at Belle Isle Plantation Cemetery

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.

Pineville, SC
Dale Watson

The inscription on the front of the marker on-site reads, "Brigadier General of S.C. militia during the American Revolution, Francis Marion, was one of the partisan leaders who kept the war alive during the British occupation of the state. His elusive disappearances after surprise attacks against superior forces harassed and demoralized the enemy, earning for him the name, "Swamp Fox."

The back of the inscription reads, "Francis Marion Died Feb. 27, 1795, in his 63rd year, and was buried here at Belle Isle Plantation, home of his brother, Gabriel. His own plantation, Pond Bluff, was 15 miles up river and is now under Lake Marion. He was born in South Carolina, the descendant of French Huguenot emigrants. The exact date and place of his birth are unknown."

The tomb reads: 

"General Francis Marion, d/27 Feb.1795 in 73rd year

To preserve to posterity this Burial place of on honored son replaces the crumbling and broken tomb nearly a century old with this enduring memorial cut from her own granite hills esto perpetua.

Sacred to the memory of Gen. Francis Marion who departed this life on the 27th February 1795, in the sixty-third year of his age. Deeply regretted by all his fellow-citizens. History will record his worth and rising generations embalm his memory as one of the most distinguished patriots and heroes of the American Revolution which elevated his native Country to honor and independence and secured to her the blessings of Liberty and Peace. This tribute of veneration and gratitude is erected in commemoration of the noble and gallant exploits of the soldier who lived without fear and died without reproach."