British Forces won over American Forces in the Battle of Camden despite having less soldiers

The Battle of Camden in South Carolina was a lopsided victory for the British during the American Revolutionary War. However, one of the stand-out factors of the battle was the number of soldiers that the two armies had. The British army comprised 1,500 hundred regular troops and 500 militia, consisted of about 2,200 Soldiers, and was commanded by Lt. Continental General Charles Cornwallis. On the other hand, The American army comprised 1,500 Continental troops and 1,500 militia, consisted of about 3,700 Soldiers, and was commanded by Maj. General Horatio Gates.

Despite the proliferation of dysentery among his men, Continental General Horatio Gates chose to engage British General Charles Cornwallis’s force on the morning of August 16, 1780 and started the Battle of Camden. Despite the difference in the number of soldiers, the illness depleted the Patriot advantage in troop numbers, and the British pressed forward aggressively as the sole side in possession of bayonets. The encounter resulted in nearly 2,000 Patriots killed or taken prisoner and heavy losses of artillery.

After the disastrous loss at Camden, Gates was removed from command and replaced by Nathanael Greene (1742-86). A second clash at Camden, the Battle of Hobkirk’s Hill, took place on April 25, 1781. Although a technical victory for the British, they abandoned Camden the following month.