Oscar Marion

Oscar Marion
General Marion Inviting a British Officer to Share His Meal by John Blake White; Oscar Marion kneels at the left of the group.

Oscar Marion was an American slave and Revolutionary War militiaman.

Oscar Marion was the servant of General Francis Marion (1732–1795), the legendary "Swamp Fox." In December 2006, Oscar Marion was recognized as an "African American Patriot" in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, and a proclamation signed by President George W. Bush expressed the appreciation of a "grateful nation" for Oscar Marion's "devoted and selfless consecration to the service of our country in the Armed Forces of the United States."[1]

It is believed that, following custom, Oscar was made to take the last name of his owner, and he was one of perhaps 200 slaves (many with the last name of Marion) who served Francis Marion. But there may have been a close personal connection between the general and his slave, as some accounts of the general comment on the constant companionship and "faithfulness" of his servant Oscar, according to genealogist Tina C. Jones, a descendant of some of Francis Marion's slaves.

It is believed that Oscar Marion appears in at least one painting of the general. "General Marion Inviting a British Officer to Share His Meal," shows an African American male only a few feet from Francis, kneeling at a fire and roasting sweet potatoes as he warily surveys the red-coated officer. In the December 2006 ceremony, President George W. Bush and several congressmen recognized the image as representing Oscar Marion[2]. The painting appeared on Confederate banknotes issued in South Carolina. It currently hangs in the third-floor corridor of the Senate Wing of the U.S. Capitol[3].

Following his seven years of service with Gen. Marion in the Revolutionary War, Oscar Marion likely returned with the general to Francis Marion's large Berkeley County, S.C., plantation. There is no evidence that Oscar ever married or had children.

Popular culture

In the Walt Disney TV miniseries The Swamp Fox (1959–61), Jordan "Smoki" Whitfield played Oscar Marion opposite Leslie Nielsen's Gen. Francis Marion. Whitfield sang the series' theme song, adding new verses in each of the eight installments to chronicle the characters' latest adventures[4]

References

  1. ^ Montes, Sue Ann Presley (2006-12-16). "Post-Revolutionary Recognition". Washington Post: pp. A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121502097.html 
  2. ^ "General Marion Inviting a British Officer to Share His Meal". United States Senate. http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_33_00002.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-26. 
  3. ^ Johnson, Darragh (2007-02-15). "Researcher's Work Restores Forgotten Man's Story". Washington Post: pp. DZ01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/14/AR2007021400587.html 
  4. ^ ."TV Westerns". The Fifties Web. http://www.fiftiesweb.com/western-3a.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-26. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Marion Cotillard — Marion Cotillard, au défilé Dior à Paris, juillet 2009. Données clés Surnom …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Oscar Graham — Pitcher Born: July 20, 1878(1878 07 20) Plattsmouth, Nebraska Died: October 15, 1931( …   Wikipedia

  • Oscar M. Fritz — Oscar Marion Fritz (March 3, 1878 – October 5, 1957) was an American jurist from Wisconsin. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Fritz graduated from University of Wisconsin Law School. His father Theodore Fritz was a member of the Wisconsin State… …   Wikipedia

  • Marion Cotillard — Cotillard at the Paris premiere of Public Enemies, July 2009 Born 30 September 1975 (1975 09 30) (age 36) Paris, France …   Wikipedia

  • Marion Cotillard — en la avant première de Enemigos públicos en París, julio de 2009. Nombre real Marion Cotillard …   Wikipedia Español

  • Marion Estelle Edison-Oeser — (* 18. Februar 1873 in Newark/New Jersey/USA; † 16. April 1965 in Norwalk/Connecticut/USA). Tochter des weltbekannten US amerikanischen Erfinders und Großindustriellen Thomas Alva Edison, zeitweise deutsche Staatsbürgerin und Einwohnerin der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Marion Cotillard — bei der Pariser Premiere von Public Enemies (2009) Marion Cotillard (* 30. September 1975 in Paris) ist eine französische Schauspielerin. Bekanntheit erlangte sie vor allem durch ihre Darstellung der Édith Piaf in …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Oscar 2008 — Oscar Statuetten Die Oscarverleihung 2008 fand am 24. Februar 2008[1] im Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles statt. Es war die 80. Verleihung des Academy Award seit der ersten Verleihung 1929. Im Jahr der Oscarverleihung werden immer Filme des Vorjahres …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Oscar Slater — Oscar Joseph Slater (8 January 1872 – 31 January 1948) was a victim of British miscarriage of justice. He was born Oscar Leschziner in Oppeln, Upper Silesia, Germany to a Jewish family. Around 1893, to evade military service, he moved to London… …   Wikipedia

  • Marion Keene — (also known as Marion Davis) was a big band singer in the early 1950s with British bands such as the Jack Parnell[1] Orchestra and Oscar Rabin Band.[2] She performed with big bands as Marion Davis beginning at the age of sixteen. She married… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”