Parson Weems claims in his biography of Francis Marion that none of Marion's brothers fought for the cause. No, no, he insists, they contributed to society as farmers, etc. Common sense would tell you that the Marion children were told the stories of what had happened to their family in France, indeed the whole of the French community, from the original eighty families which crossed the Atlantic and settled in Charleston proper, all had the same misfortune. It is the perseverance that a person learns, and carries in their heart, which becomes courage in the necessity of survival.
French Huguenot Church in the French quarter of Charleston
I once heard that in order to survive in a life-threatening situation you must do, and not think. We all admire those who seem so courageous, but the humblest of responses is "I did what I had to do." So simple, and as applicable today as in the time of Francis Marion, and the other patriots I have discussed in this blog. Indeed, these men of war were not the only ones with passion in their hearts. Simms, in his biography, quotes a letter written by Issac Marion, brother of Francis, who resided in the community of Little River. Skirmishes were flaring up between the British and the colonials, and Issac was asked to dispatch news of the battle of Lexington (Spring 1775) to what was then a committee of community elders, to warn that the dangers of war with England were very real. He also made it clear where his feeling lied when he wrote,
"I request FOR THE GOOD OF YOUR COUNTRY, AND THE WELFARE OF OUR LIVES, LIBERTIES, AND FORTUNES, you'll not lose a moment's time.."
Issac Marion, in speaking of "your country," and the importance of holding on to "our lives, liberties, and fortunes," was guilty of treason. A Tory would say that South Carolina was a colony of England solely, not a separate and free country. Issac was no Tory: he believed in freedom just as strongly as his brother. The reply Issac received was swift action: Georgetown and Charleston were quickly notified, and a meeting of the Continental Congress was called to decide on the pertinent question:
remain loyal to England or go to war.
Benjamin Franklin's call the cause
"The actual commencement of hostilities against this Continent by the British troops, in the bloody scene of the 19th of April last, near Boston--the increase of arbitrary imposition from a wicked and despotic ministry--and the dread of insurrections in the Colonies--are causes sufficient to drive an oppressed people to the use of arms. We, therefore, the subscribers, inhabitants of South Carolina, holding ourselves bound by that most sacred of all obligations, the duty of good citizens to an injured country, and thoroughly convinced, that, under our present distressed circumstances, we shall be justified before God and man, in resisting force by force--do unite ourselves, under every tie of religion and honor, and associate as a band in her defence,
against every foe--hereby solemnly engaging, that, whenever our Continental and Provincial Councils shall deem it necessary, we will go forth, and be ready to sacrifice our lives and fortunes to secure her freedom and safety. This obligation to continue in force, until a reconciliation shall take place between Great Britain and America, upon Constitutional principles--an event which we most ardently desire. And, we will hold all those persons inimical to the liberty of the Colonies, who shall refuse to subscribe to this association." 
South Carolina's version of Ben Franklin's snake
I know that the screenwriters and directors of The Patriot played up the reluctant spirit of the colonials to sign up for war with a fearsome enemy, but Simms found that Marion was not a fine debater, and nor did he cast a vote for "nay." He hated the British, his own dealings with them aside, for what they'd done in Boston and for how oppressive they were. Deep in his heart, indeed in the hearts of each of his siblings, dwelt the longing to be free. They did what they had to do.
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