The Life of Francis Marion is a biography of the legendary "Swamp Fox" of the American Revolution. Simms's goal in writing the biography was to show Marion as a Washington-like figure who should be understood as exemplifying the best, foundational aspects of the national character, as well as to push back against the two earlier biographical treatments of Marion, by Mason Locke Weems and William Dobein James. In this text, he writes with a combination of artistry and historical accuracy in portaying this lengendary patriotic figure.