* * * * *
From the "Life of Francis Marion."
=_304._= CHARACTER AND SERVICES OF GENERAL MARION.
No commander had ever been more solicitous of the safety and comfort of
his men. It was this which had rendered him so sure of their fidelity,
which had enabled him to extract from them such admirable service. This
simple entreaty stayed their quarrels; ... No duel took place among his
officers during the whole of his command.
The province which was assigned to his control by Governor Rutledge, was
the constant theatre of war. He was required to cover an immense extent
of country. With a force constantly unequal and constantly fluctuating,
he contrived to supply its deficiencies by the resources of his own
vigilance and skill. His personal bravery was frequently shown, and the
fact that he himself conducted an enterprise, was enough to convince his
men that they were certain to be led to victory.... He had no lives to
waste, and the game he played was that which enabled him to secure the
greatest results, with the smallest amount of hazard. Yet, when the
occasion seemed to require it, he could advance and strike with an
audacity, which in the ordinary relations of the leader with the
soldier, might well be thought inexcusable rashness.
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