MARION -- Several Marion groups gathered in Marion Friday morning to remember a war hero.
General Francis Marion Memorial Day is recognized every year on February 27. The day is set aside to honor the revolutionary war hero whose name you can find on a city, a national forest, a university and schools in the area. The date marks the general's death. He was 63 when he died in 1795.
The Blue Savannah-Swamp Fox Chapter of the South Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution and a period-dressed color guard laid a wreath at the base of the Francis Marion statue during the commemoration. It was held at the CD Joyner Auditorium on Elizabeth Street. Third and eighth grade students and South Carolina's Lt. Governor Ken Ard attended the ceremony. Marion's Hugh Giles Regiment and Brittons Neck Militia re-enactors provided the color guard and have living history camps set up on Godbold Street.
There are several other events planned throughout the weekend to recognize General Francis Marion Days.