Experience the American dream with today’s Patriot of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s March 15, 1780. I’m in South Carolina with Brigadier General Francis Marion as he trains his troops.
JG: “General Marian, why have your Raiders been so successful against the British?”
FM: “John, my brigade boys may be rough and unorthodox, but they love freedom. While we may have little food and sleep, we are hungry for liberty, and we won’t rest until we drive every last one of these British bums out of South Carolina and America.”
Drive them out he did, as General Marion, nicknamed the Old Swamp Fox, harassed, destroyed, and outmaneuvered the notorious British General Tarleton, opening up the door for Washington’s victory at Yorktown.
Read more about General Francis Marion (The Old Swamp Fox) and his success in South Carolina.
John and Jan Gillespie are the founders of the Rawhide Boys’ Ranch; they have fostered 351 teenagers and wrote the book Our 351 Sons; they have also assisted numerous churches in developing youth programs and expanding their total church ministries. After running for U.S. Senate, John founded 1776 American Dream, which exists to demonstrate the vision of our founding fathers and help our generation of youth passionately embrace those values.