CAMDEN, Battle of, a battle fought near Camden, S. C., 16 Aug. 1780, between the Amer ican troops under Gates and the British under Lord Rawdon. Shortly after the British cap tured Charleston in May, all South Carolina was in their hands except for the guerrilla warfare of Marion, Sumter and others. Wash ington had already sent De Kalb (q.v.) with 1,400 Maryland and Delaware regulars, among the best troops in the army, to save it, but the new disaster called for fresh efforts and a first rate new commander of the Southern Depart ment to succeed Lincoln. Washington wished to send Greene; but a popular clamor for Gates, mistakenly credited with the victory over Bur goyne, led Congress to give him the post. He took command at Hillsborough, N. C., where De Kalb was vainly waiting for General Caswell and the North Carolina militia to come up from South Carolina. Gates, therefore, deter mined to march south and join Caswell, and thus reinforced, seize Camden and the Wateree, near which was their camp — the strategic cen tre of the State, and the converging point of the chief northern roads. It was held by Lord Rawdon with a comparatively small force. A fortnight's starving march of 150 miles, in the course of which he picked up a company of Virginia regulars and the North Carolina men, brought him in front of Rawdon, strongly posted across the road 15 miles northeast of Camden. He might either attack with superior forces or hold Rawdon with a part while he sent the rest around his flank to seize Camden in the rear; but he did neither, and, after wait ing two days without apparent object, moved west to Clermont, or Rugely's Mill, a strong position, 13 miles north of Camden. Here he was joined by 700 Virginia militia, but sent off 400 of his splendid Maryland regulars to help Sumter cut the British communications far to the southeast, and Cornwallisjoined Rawdon, giving the British 2,000 trained men. Gates had no intelligence department, and sup posed he still had only Rawdon's small force before him; and about 10 P.M. of 15 August started down the road to surprise Rawdon, Cornwallis at the same hour starting north to surprise him. The vanguards met about 3 A.M. a few miles above Camden, and the Americans were routed; but some British prisoners in formed Gates that Cornwallis was in front with 3,000 men. Gates had 3,052, most of his nomi
nal force being on paper or helpless with dys entery; and over half of them were militia who had never been under fire and did not even understand using a bayonet. De Kalb, the brave but judicious officer, wished to fall back on Rugely's Mill; but the other officers thought it too late to retreat, and Gates deployed his men, with as bad judgment as the decision to fight at all. The road ran through a level field flanked by swamps, so that everything depended on the firmness of the front rank; but he massed all the regulars on one wing and all the militia on the other. De Kalb held the right opposite Rawdon, with the Delaware regiment and the 2d Maryland brigade in front, the 1st Maryland in reserve; the left wing had the Virginia militia in front and the North Caro lina troops in the rear, opposed to Col. James Webster, with Tarleton's cavalry in reserve. Gates' tactics were as ill-judged as his arrange ment ; he ordered the first charge made by the Virginia men, who did not even know how to march in order. They became tangled and while trying to reform, Webster's onrush broke them in wild panic; they threw down their loaded guns with bayonets set, without firing a shot, and ran to the rear. One regiment of North Carolina men fired several volleys, but all the rest fled like their neighbors, and the one exception soon shared their flight. Mean time, the 2d Maryland twice drove back Raw don, then broke his ranks with a bayonet charge, and held the field. But Webster and Tarfelon, following the routed mob, had flanked the 1st Maryland and after an obstinate fight crowded it off the field; and, taking the 2d Maryland in the rear, compelled it, too, to retire, after a fierce resistance. De Kalb fought to the kilt, and was captured, mortally wounded, with 11 wounds. The stubborn fight of the regu lars is shown by the fact that the Delaware troops were nearly annihilated, and the Mary land regiments lost nearly half ,their number. There were about 1,000 killed and wounded, and as many prisoners taken, with seven can non and 2,000 muskets. The British lost 324. For the time the American cause in the •South was at an end. Gates escaped to Hillsborou but was shortly supplanted. by Greene, who wrought a wonderful transformation in a few months.