The Battle of Camden was fought on August 16th, 1780, near Camden, South Carolina. It was led by General Charles Lord Cornwallis. The British not only won this battle, but they crushed the confidence of the American Army. After the Battle of Camden, the General in charge of the American Army, General Horatio Gates, was so badly humiliated that he was replaced by another General named Nathaniel Green.
There are several reasons why General Gates lost the Battle of Camden. First of all, he overestimated the size of his army. He roughly had 4,100 men, but thought he had 7,000.
Another mistake Gates made was not realizing that many of his men were sick with dysentery. Supplies that may have helped his army were unavailable, so he gave them molasses, green apples, and unripened peaches. This combination of bad food only worsened illness among the soldiers.
One of general Gates’ biggest mistakes was his positioning of men for the Battle of Camden. Even though an experienced general would predict Cornwallis would place his best soldiers on his right, Gates placed his most inexperienced soldiers on his left. These inexperienced American Soldiers were quickly overtaken by the more experienced British.
With much of his army now on the run, Gates realized he was doomed and trotted away to Charlotte, North Carolina. Meanwhile, 900 men in Gates army were killed or wounded in the battle of Camden.
The huge loss of lives and the cowardice of General Horatio Gates not only destroyed his reputation but boosted British confidence. Fortunately, Gates’ replacement was General Nathaniel Greene, who just one year later helped to beat Cornwallis and the British army.