William Dobein James

During the Revolutionary War, William Dobein James served in Marion’s militia in South Carolina. He later became an associate judge in equity in South Carolina, and his best-known book, A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion and A History of His Brigade, was published in 1821.

That work stands out because it was written by someone who had taken part in the events he described. James combined biography, military history, and personal recollection to tell the story of Francis Marion and the partisan fighting in the South during the war.

For readers interested in the Revolution, his book remains notable as an early source shaped by memory, proximity, and public service. It offers not just the legend of Marion, but a window into how that history was remembered in the early United States.