The Camden Battlefield
National Register Listing
Street Address:
1606 Flat Rock Road, Camden vicinity, SC (Kershaw County)
Alternate Name:
38KE1003
NRHP Nomination
Additional Documentation
Record Number:
S10817728001
Description and Narrative:
The Camden Battlefield is a Revolutionary War site located eight miles north of Camden, South Carolina along both sides of Flat Rock Road (State Road S-28-58). The property was the site of the Battle of Camden on August 16, 1780. The nominated battlefield encompass 1,141 acres and is largely a pine forest. The core battlefield of approximately 396 acres consists of light timber pine forest and a swampy drainage. A number of non-contributing resources are present within the National Register property, including private homes. A six-acre park, formerly owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), is located within the listed boundary and contains a stone monument to Johann Baron de Kalb and an interpretive kiosk. Both the smaller park and the battlefield have interpretive signage with visitor hiking trails. The Battle of Camden was a major disaster for the American military during the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. An estimated 3,700 Patriot soldiers met 2,230 British troops in a fierce battle near colonial Camden. Perhaps as many as 1,900 Americans and 324 British were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. American forces were led by the “Hero of Saratoga,” General Horatio Gates, and the British were led by Lord Charles Cornwallis. The Camden Battlefield is nationally significant for its military history and archaeological potential. The battle proved pivotal in the lives and military careers of General Gates and Major General Johann de Kalb. The Battle of Camden is the outstanding symbol of a series of disastrous setbacks suffered by the American side in the South during the Revolutionary War. These losses, the surrender of Charleston, the wipeout at Waxhaws, and then Camden, represent the lowest point to which American fortunes sank in that struggle. During this brief skirmish in the Carolina upcountry, which should be called nothing other than a rout, American Militiamen fled wildly through the marshes and fields. General Gates did not stop his horse until nightfall, when he reached Charlotte, North Carolina, sixty miles away. As the British sped through the broken lines in pursuit of the militiamen, the regulars (the Continentals) soon found themselves outnumbered, surrounded and forced to surrender. Their commander, Major General de Kalb, gave his life in the battle. Listed in the National Register October 15, 1966; Additional Documentation approved May 4, 2023; Designated a National Historic Landmark January 20, 1961.
Period of Significance:
1780
Level of Significance:
National
Area of Significance:
Military;Archeology: Historic - Non-Aboriginal
National Register Determination:
National Historic Landmark
Date of Certification:
October 15 1966
Date of Certification as a National Historic Landmark:
January 20 1961
