As the nation was celebrating the bicentennial of the American Revolution, Marion was drawing attention to its own piece in winning independence from England.

B. Pratt Gasque was chairman of a committee to erect a statue of Revolutionary War Patriot Francis Marion on the green across the street in front of the Marion County Courthouse. Dr. Robert Bass, Mrs. C.D. Joyener, Jr., M. Gault Beeson, and Millard Osborne were other members of the committee.

Ramojus Mozoliauskas, the sculptor, was secured to produce a larger than life size statue of Gen. Marion with an alert and cautioning pose to stand guard forever in the center of the town named in honor of him. The artist immigrated to the U.S. from Lithuania in 1950. From his Chicago studio, he became recognized as “the most creative, most talented artist in the U.S.” in the business of crafting sculptured monuments.

State Senator Ralph Gasque presided over the monument’s dedication on April 9, 1976. Dr. Robert D. Bass, distinguished Francis Marion scholar and author of “The Swamp Fox,” gave the dedication address. The statue was the first ever made of Marion.

The pedestal of the sculpture is inscribed with a reproduction of Marion’s distinctive signature and the following information about him: Francis Marion; The Swamp Fox; born at St. John’s Parish, 1732; died February 27, 1795, buried in Belle Isle Plantation, Berkeley County, SC; 1759, French and Indian War; 1761, Cherokee Uprising; 1775, Captain 2nd SC Regiment; 1775, Commander Fort Dorchester; 1776, Major, Battle of Sullivan’s Island; 1777, Lt. Colonel 2nd SC Regiment; 1780, Brigadier General Militia. 1976 Erected by the citizens of Marion County as our bicentennial tribute.