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Battle of Camden

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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 Lord 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.

Prelude

In January 1780, Henry Clinton having taken over as commander in chief in North America, took an army and captured Charleston, South Carolina. Clinton returned to New York and gave Charles Earl Cornwallis the task of capturing the rest of the Carolinas.

In July an American army, 3000 strong with 7 guns (1,500 regulars and 1,500 militia) 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. He had just 2,000 men (1,500 regulars and 500 militia) with 4 guns. Cornwallis made a night advance which clashed with the Americans who were also advancing to make an assault.

Battle

Cornwallis formed his army in two brigades, with Colonel Webster on the right with the Light Infantry, 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers and the 33rd Regiment of Foot. On the Left was Lord Rawdon with the Irish Volunteers, Banastre 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 Mordecai Gist, Johann de Kalb's 2nd Maryland and a Delaware Regiment, his centre under the command of Richard Caswell of North Carolina militia and his right under Stevens of the Virginia militia. William Smallwood commanded the reserve of the 1st Maryland Regiment.

Gates ordered forward his left flank of militia, to attack the opposing British units. As the militia approached, they were met by a destructive counter-volley from the Grenadier and Light infantry regiments. These regiments then charged and Gates' inexperienced militia, largely without bayonets fled the field, with Gates not far behind. The British wheeled round and outflanked the American Continental regiments who were putting up a stiff fight and continued to do so for sometime. After a while the American lines began to crumble. Utterly defeated, the remainder of the army abandoned the battlefield, pursued by Tarleton's cavalry for some 20 miles. The British overran the American positions, capturing the American army's stores.

Gates 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, even surpassing the huge Battle of Long Island in terms of casualties.

Cornwallis had Johann de Kalb watched by his own personal doctor. Even after all the effort de Kalb died three days later. Cornwallis had him buried at the battlefield.

Aftermath

Gates lost control of the southern army due to his cowardice. General Nathanael Greene, standing next to George Washington as the most able and trusted Colonial officer of the Revolution, was given Gates's command of the southern army and started recruiting additional troops. There are many reasons given for Gates's defeat. The most prominent are the following:

  • After Saratoga, Gates became overconfident in his ability to defeat the British. After the surrender of Burgoyne's army, he formed the view that Americans could defeat the British in a set piece pitched battle, muzzle to muzzle.
  • Gates made several tactical errors. Being an ex-British army officer, he kept with the tradition of placing the best regiments on the right (in this case the Continentals). This meant that the best British regiments were facing Gate's militiamen. Also, Gate's army was running out of supplies by the time of the battle, and many of the troops were not well-rested or fed.

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 Volunteers of Ireland

Tarleton's Legion

The Royal N.C. Regiment

Bryan's Loyalist Militia (N.C.)

American Regiments

1st Maryland Regiment

2nd Maryland Regiment

Delaware Regiment

North Carolina Militia

Virginia Militia

Armand's Legion

North Carolina State Troops

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

The Battle on Film

In the 2000 movie The Patriot Ben and Gabriel Martin are seen watching a similar battle. Ben comments at Gates stupidity at fighting "muzzle to muzzle with Redcoats". There are some historical inaccuracies, including too many Continentals compared to militia, and that the militia retreated long before the most of Continentals did, but in the movie the Continentals and the militia retreated at the same time.

See also

References

External links



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