Battle of Camden

In June, Gen. Horatio Gates was appointed commander of patriot troops in the South. He determined to liberate the South, beginning with a move in force against the British stronghold at Camden. This was, strategically and tactically, a sound conception, but in its execution Gates failed completely. His defeat at Camden on August 16, 1780, was one of the most disastrous battles in which an American army has ever been engaged. This defeat terminated all organized opposition to British control in South Carolina and cleared the way for further advances. In September, Cornwallis moved his main army from Camden to Charlotte. Simultaneously, a flank column, under Maj. Patrick Ferguson, was marching from Fort Ninety-Six through the Piedmont, carrying the war into the upcountry. This column was expected to join Cornwallis at Charlotte.

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SOUTHERN CAMPAIGN TO THE BATTLE OF GUILFORD COURTHOUSE