The Battle of Camden was the high tide for the British in the American Civil War

History proves that the Battle of Camden was a total military disaster for the Americans Army. General Horatio Gates lost nearly 2/3 of his army and the ensuing pursuit scattered his remaining forces. With his defeat, there were no organized Continental forces left in the south. After the battle, American casualties were estimated to be 900 killed/wounded and 1,000 captured, while British casualties were estimated to be only 68 killed, 245 wounded, and 11 missing.

Therefore, the prospects for British success in the south would never be higher than in mid-August in 1780. Soon, however, General Lord Cornwallis found out how hard it would be to “tame” the Carolinas. Constant fighting in the backcountry between Loyalists and Patriot militia (bolstered by partisans such as Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, and Andrew Pickens) kept the British from reinstituting a Royal government. British frustrations guided strategic decisions that led to defeats at Kings Mountain and Cowpens a few months later. The battles at Kings Mountain and Cowpens were a complete victory for the Patriot force. British losses were staggering: 110 dead, over 200 wounded and 500 captured. The American victory devastated Loyalist support in the south and stalled Cornwallis. It was the first of a series of setbacks that ended in the eventual collapse of the British effort to hold North America.