The Battle of Camden

On August 16, 1780, an important battle occurred just outside the town of Camden, SC. The battle of Camden was a one-sided victory for the British troops of the American Revolutionary War. General Horatio Gates engaged the British forces commanded by General Charles Cornwallis. This encounter resulted in the death or capture of nearly 2000 Patriot troops and the loss of important artillery. The loss resulted in General George Washington replacing General Gates with Nathanael Greene.

Another great loss of the Battle of Camden was the death of Major General Baron Dekalb. General Dekalb received eleven gunshot and bayonet wounds during the battle. He was treated at a British military hospital by General Cornwallis own surgeons and died on August 19, 1780. He was buried with full military honors near the current Quaker Cemetery. In 1825, his body was disinterred and reburied at the Bethesda Presbyterian Church in Camden.

The site has several easy walking hiking trails. As you wonder the trails, placards placed about depict actions of the battle. The battle site remains the site of numerous unmarked graves of fallen soldiers.