South Carolina – Historic Camden

With dreary weather on our day off, we decided it would be better not to hike, so we drove two hours to another place associated with the Revolutionary War – Historic Camden.

Camden is the oldest inland town in South Carolina. Historic Camden includes over 100 acres of the original town land with a small museum, reconstructed military fortifications, and a handful of period homes. We missed the guided tour, but were able to explore the place on our own.

the Bradley House contains historical displays

The cap below caught our eye. Our friend and former Kings Mountain volunteer, Karen, knit similar caps for the Kings Mountain rangers.

reconstructed redoubt (fortification)

the reconstructed Kershaw House (Cornwallis’ headquarters)

Two Revolutionary War battles were fought in this area. The first chronologically is the Battle of Camden.

In the summer of 1780, after taking over Charleston, the British started a plan to sweep through the south. The Continental army, led by General Horatio Gates, aimed to stop this sweep by attacking the British at Camden, but the British were tipped off and attacked the exhausted Continentals first. The result was a great loss for the Continental troops and Gates’ marred reputation for having fled the battle.

The battle area was only recently acquired by the historic park, but due to earlier preservation efforts some trails and signs commemorate the battle.

The other battle in the area was the Battle of Hobkirk’s Hill where 8 months later Continental General Greene occupied a hill north of Camden threatening the British garrison at Camden.

His troops were surprised by a British attack. Greene launched a counterattack, but the Brits took the hill and drove the Continental troops away. Despite these defeats, other battles like the one at Kings Mountain pushed things toward an eventual surrender by the Brits.

Signs amidst the neighborhood and in a small park commemorate the battle.

The areas could use some further development, but the history adds to our timeline of Revolutionary War events in the south.