Why it is important to make trips to historical places -- by Nick

Today I’m writing on why it is important to take trips to see historical places. I think it’s important to take trips because then you can separate fact from fiction; over the years, a story can be stretched. Also, you have the visual learner; if you read something, it might just go in one ear and out the other. However, if you see it yourself, it can change everything for you. It can finally click with you. It is easier to write on if you see where people fought and died. It stays better in your memory.  


Also, you can get a better idea of what the people went through. Back then, you didn’t have all the conveniences that we have today. There was no air conditioning and there were no cars. The soldiers wore woolen uniforms, which were really hot when most of the fighting was done in the summer. If you go to a place like Charleston during the summer, you can feel the heat that they had to fight in.  Going to South Carolina, you can see the lay of the land. You can experience some of the difficulties that they had to overcome.

I can’t wait to walk where Francis Marion walked and experience some of the conditions that he faced.

Why I'm interested in the Swamp Fox (written by Nick)

I got interested in the Swamp Fox when I was young.  I was allowed to watch The Patriot with Mel Gibson. I was totally impressed with this hero. However, more recently I found out how inaccurate the movie was, so I became interested in finding out more about his life and what he did in the American Revolution.

I have read one book on the Swamp Fox that is historical fiction. Mizz Liz found it for us in the library, and it was easy to read. One of the things that I found confusing was all the characters; they were hard to tell apart. Some of them were real, and some were imaginary; I found it hard to tell who were historical persons and who were not historical. 

That is part of the reason why we are taking this trip. I want to separate the real history from the TV versions. Why is that important? It is important because truth is important. It is all right to have fun and watch good movies, but we can’t always mix fun with truth, especially now.

Thoughts from Nick

The Swamp Fox – also known as Francis Marion – had a very interesting life. He was born in 1732 on his father’s plantation in South Carolina. He went from working on his father’s plantation to being a crewmen on a ship, to fighting in the French and Indian War, to buying a plantation in 1773 named Pond Bluff, to being put in charge of the Second Regiment in the Colonial Army. His first assignment in the War of Independence was to guard the American artillery and to build Fort Sullivan in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. For three years, beginning in 1775, he took charge of a small militia and used guerrilla tactics to surprise enemy regiments. After the war, he settled down to the quiet life of a farmer on his plantation. He married his cousin when they were both in their late 40's.

Many people tend to overlook the part that Marion played in keeping the British from conquering the South. If they had done this, George Washington would have been trapped between the two British forces, possibly leading to our defeat. The war might have gone on, but the colonies would have starved. Marion’s strategies were exactly what our country needed to win, and God provided the right person at the right time.

I will be writing more on this hero as time goes on.