BATTLE OF CAMDEN

The 'Battle of Camden' was an important battle in the Southern theatre of the American Revolutionary War. On August 16, 1780, British forces under Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis routed the American forces of Major General Horatio Gates about six miles (10 km) north of Camden, South Carolina, strengthening the British hold on the Carolinas.

Contents

Battle

Aftermath

British Regiments

American Regiments

British Order of Battle

American Order of Battle

Links

References and links

Battle

In January 1780, Clinton having taken over as commander in chief in North America took an army and captured Charleston. Clinton returned to New York and gave Cornwallis the task of capturing the rest of the Carolinas.
In July an American army under Horatio Gates had advanced from the north and was seriously threatening the British in South Carolina. The British were commanded at Camden by Lord Rawdon, who advanced out to meet Gates. On Gates' approach, Rawdon fell back to Camden. On 14 August, Cornwallis joined his troops in Camden with a determination to push Gates out of the Carolinas.
Cornwallis formed his army in two brigades, with Colonel Webster on the right with the Light Infantry, 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers and the 33rd Foot. On the Left was Lord Rawdon with the Irish Volunteers, Tarleton's Infantry and some provincial units. Two battalions of Frasers 71st Highlanders formed the reserve.
Gates advanced with his army with the regiments of the Continental Army on the right under Gist, Kalb's 2nd Maryland and a Delaware Regiment, his centre under the command of Caswell of North Carolina militia and his right under Stevens of the Virginia militia. Smallwood commanded the reserve of the 1st Maryland Regiment.
As the battle erupted, the British Grenadier regiments on the right fired a destructive counter-volley into the American militia and Gates' inexperienced militia fled the field. The British wheeled round and outflanked the Americans, Gates' lines began to crumble. Utterly defeated, Gates and the remainder of his army abandoned the battlefield, pursued by Tarleton's cavalry for some 20 miles.
Gates was said to have fled with the first of the militia to be routed from the field. Casualties for the British had not been heavy. The Americans, however, lost over two thirds of their force in the battle, and all of the baggage had been captured along with the Continental artillery train.
The battle accounted for the bloodiest defeat of either side during the conflict.

Aftermath

General Nathanael Greene, standing next to George Washington as the ablest and most trusted officer of the Revolution, succeeded Gates in command of the southern army and started recruiting additional troops.

British Regiments

23rd Foot, the Royal Welch Fusiliers
33rd Foot, now the Duke of Wellington's Regiment
Two battalions of Fraser's 71st Highlanders
Lord Rawdon's Irish Volunteers
Tarleton's Legion
Loyalist Militia

American Regiments

1st Maryland Regiment
2nd Maryland Regiment
Delaware Regiment
North Carolina Militia
Virginia Militia

British Order of Battle

'Overall Command': Lord Charles Cornwallis
'Right Brigade':
'Commanding Officer': Colonel Webster

★ Light Infantry

★ 23rd Foot

★ 33rd Foot

★ 2 artillery guns
'Left Brigade':
'Commanding Officer': Lord Rawdon

★ Irish Volunteers

★ Tarleton's Legion

★ Loyalist Militia

★ 2 artillery guns
'Reserve':
'Commanding Officer': Fraser

★ Two battalions of 71st Highlanders

American Order of Battle

'Overall Command': Horatio Gates
'Right Flank':
'Commanding Officer': Gist

★ 2nd Maryland Regiment

★ Delaware Regiment

★ 3 artillery guns
'Centre Flank':
'Commanding Officer': Caswell

★ North Carolina Militia

★ 2 artillery guns
'Left Flank':
'Commanding Officer': Stevens

★ Virginia Militia
'Reserve':
'Commanding Officer': Smallwood

★ 1st Maryland

★ 2 artillery guns

Links

★ 1st Delaware Regiment

★ 5th Maryland Regiment

References and links

★

★ Battle Commemoration website

★ Portrait of Horatio Gates

★ Portrait of Baron DeKalb

★ Portrait of John Edgar Howard

★ Portrait of William Smallwood

★ Portrait of William Washington

★ Portrait of Otho Williams