One of the most notorious battles to occur on United States soil took place in Camden, South Carolina almost 250 years ago.
The Battle of Camden occurred on August 16th, 1780. The night before the Battle of Camden, the patriots, who were led under General Horatio Gates, suffered dysentery. Despite their illness, Gates decided the soldiers would engage with the British army the following morning on August 16th.
Although the Continental army initially had the advantage, they had decreased by 25% because only 3,000 Patriots were healthy enough to take the field after their ailments the night before.
The issue that eventually brought the Continental army to their quick demise was the lack of bayonets. Due to the lack of arsenal and manpower, the patriots suffered a harsh defeat, failing in making any progress against the British.
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