"They have done all that can be expected of them; we are outnumbered and
outflanked," so described Lt. Col. Benjamin Ford of the desperate
situation for his Marylanders at Camden on August 16, 1780.
The battle of Camden is considered by many historians as the high tide
of Great Britain's prospects for victory in the American south.
Beginning in the spring of 1780, British leadership focused their
attention on conquering the southern colonies. In May 1780, Charleston,
South Carolina capitulated and the British captured the bulk of the
American Southern army. After the fall of Charleston, the British set up
outposts through the South Carolina backcountry in an effort to secure
the colony with hopes of moving into North Carolina. In response, the
Continental Congress sent the "hero of Saratoga," Gen. Horatio Gates, to
establish a new American Southern army. Gates named this new force as
his "Grand Army," of which its core was a small contingent of
experienced Continentals from Maryland and Delaware. However, the
majority of Gates' army were untested, newly-recruited militia from
Virginia and North Carolina. Soon after arriving in North Carolina,
Gates impetuously led his forces south to confront the British based
near Camden, South Carolina. The mostly- inexperienced army lined up
against some of the best units of the British army in America and
commanded by one of their best generals, Gen. Lord Charles Cornwallis.
In a series of misfortunes, what happened on August 16, 1780 was an
unmitigated disaster for the Americans.
In All That Can Be Expected: The Battle of Camden and the British High
Tide in the South, August 16, 1780, historians Rob Orrison and Mark
Wilcox describe the events that led to one of the worst American
military defeats in United States history. The authors lead you in the
footsteps of American and British soldiers throughout the South Carolina
backcountry. They interweave a clear historic narrative while guiding
the reader to historic locations, creating a precise understanding of
the events of August 1780.
