Camden Battlefield
1698 Flat Rock Rd, Camden, SC
Battle of Camden
Date of Battle: August 16, 1780
The Battle
After the fall of Charleston, General Washington sends a second army to South Carolina under the command of General Horatio Gates. British General Cornwallis moves out of Charleston to confront Gates at Camden.
Many American soldiers flee the field, despite facing a smaller enemy. Some forces stand, including those under General Johann de Kalb, a German-born Continental officer. General Gates abandons what is left of his army to ride back to Philadelphia and try to justify what happened. He is disgraced and never receives another command.
Visiting the Battleground
Historic Camden maintains land and structures significant to the American Revolution at its 107-acre Broad Street Campus. Historic Camden also owns and manages over 450 acres of the core battlefield of the Battle of Camden.
Address:
- Broad Street Campus: 222 Broad Street, Camden, SC
- Camden Battlefield and Longleaf Pine Preserve: 1606 Flat Rock Road, Camden, SC
Entrance fee: None for the Camden Battlefield. See the Historic Camden web site for Broad Street Campus admission fees.
When you visit the Broad Street Campus you can view Colonial-era houses, reconstructed palisade walls, redoubts, and a powder magazine. On a guided tour you can also see the reconstructed Kershaw-Cornwallis House. It was originally built circa 1777-1780 by Joseph Kershaw, a wealthy merchant. The house served as headquarters for General Cornwallis and other British officers.
At the Camden Battlefield and Longleaf Pine Preserve site, you can walk 3 miles of trails and view interpretive signs about the battlefield.
Guided tours of the Broad Street Campus and the Camden Battlefield are available. See the Historic Camden web site for details on offerings and pricing.
Typically, there is a Battle of Camden commemoration ceremony in August.
Check the Historic Camden web site for information on hours of operation of both sites.
→ Have you been here? Do you have suggestions for others who are passionate about history and want to make the most of their visit, or recommendations for things nearby that every history lover should see? Please send them in and we may add them to this page.
Contributor: This list of major Revolutionary War Battles and descriptions was written by Michael Troy, the creator and host of the American Revolution Podcast, who selected these sites and described the battles.
Photo: Own work by Pi3.124, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Editor: Creation of this trip, including additional research on visiting these historic sites by Donna Keesling, editor at The History List.
Updated April 8, 2022