“C” is for Camden, Battle of (August 16, 1780)

“C” is for Camden, Battle of (August 16, 1780). In early April elements of the Continental Army, under the command of General Horatio Gates marched south to attack British forces in South Carolina. Gates resolved to advance on the British outpost at Camden. He force-marched his army through territory where there were not any supplies. On the night of August 15, the weary and hungry Americans bumped into the British forces under Lord Cornwallis six miles north of Camden. The two sides withdrew to await daylight. When the British attacked, the Americans’ left wing collapsed and the battle turned into a rout. Approximately eight hundred Americans were killed or wounded and another thousand taken prisoner. The defeat at Camden was one of the worst losses suffered by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.