“H” is for Hobkirk Hill, Battle of

“H” is for Hobkirk Hill, Battle of [April 25, 1781]. Following the Battle of Guilford Court House, Major General Nathanael Greene reentered South Carolina with a plan to force the British to retreat from their interior outposts to Charleston, On April 19^th, his army took up a position on Hobkirk Hill, a mile and a half north of Camden. The British attacked a week later. When one of American units faltered, Greene was forced to order a general retreat. The British were left in possession of the hill, but then withdrew into their fortifications at Camden. On May 10^th, the British abandoned their exposed position and began a slow retreat toward Charleston. Though in itself indecisive, the Battle of Hobkirk Hill marked the beginning of the British withdrawal from the interior of South Carolina.