FLORENCE, S.C. - Some Pee Dee residents are pushing lawmakers to create a trail to honor Revolutionary War hero Frances Marion.

The inspiration came to Florence attorney Ben Zeigler last spring when he took a television crew down to the Great Pee Dee River to film Francis Marion sites.

"I had not visited some of those sites since I was a child and it suddenly occurred to me that nearly all of these sites are unexplored, inaccessible and unappreciated," Zeigler said.

A bill creating a commission to help make the trail a reality has been introduced in the state Senate. The trail would be paid for with private money.

Organizers say the trail would start at Fort Moultrie in Sullivans Island and run through the Francis Marion National Forest, across the Black and Santee rivers, and past the site of the Battle of Black Mingo into the lower part of Williamsburg County.

From there, the Frances Marion Trail would continue through Lake City, Browntown and Johnsonville. It would eventually end at the colonial plantations of Hopsewee and Hampton.

"I think most will agree not only that Francis Marion is one of South Carolina's greatest heroes, but that his campaigns in the Pee Dee and Lowcountry regions are of national significance," Zeigler said. "And we in the Pee Dee should not only be proud of and highlight that aspect of our heritage, but should also promote it as a basis for bringing tourism dollars to the region."

Zeigler hopes forming a commission will encourage property owners to help find a way for the public to visit sites such as Snow's Island, a marsh island in the Pee Dee River where some say Marion camped.

Marion was known for his daring raids on British troops during the Revolutionary War. He got his nickname, the "Swamp Fox," because he and his men would attack, the quickly retreat into the Pee Dee marshes.

Later Marion would join with other American troops and a series of victories sent the British retreating to North Carolina.

"In my estimation, what happened in this area between 1780 and 1782 was what really won the Revolutionary War," Zeigler said.