Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site
Encyclopedia
The Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site in Camden, South Carolina
preserves structures and grounds that are representative of the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War
. Managed by a consortium of private donors and local governments, the area is also an affiliated unit of the National Park Service
.
Included within the park are a variety of reconstructed and refurbished structures from the colonial era town site. The desire to control this territory was great for the British, as Camden was located on a crossroads of the routes to the largest Southern cities of Charleston, South Carolina
and Savannah, Georgia
. Many of these restored buildings contain revolutionary war artifacts recovered from the site. The park is also home to the mansion used as the British headquarters in the Carolinas by General Charles Cornwallis, during an eleven month Redcoat occupation of the town. Recreated fortifications are also contained within park boundaries.
The location of the principal Battle of Camden
is nine miles (14 km) north of the site, while several other skirmishes occurred within 20 miles (32.2 km) of the town. Between the summers of 1780 and 1781, the British were able to claim victory in many of these assaults, but at the expense of high casualty rates. These costly struggles both weakened the Redcoats as a unit and spurred the momentum of an anti-war movement in the British Isles.
Camden, South Carolina
Camden is the fourth oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and is also the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was an estimated 7,103 in 2009...
preserves structures and grounds that are representative of the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War
Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War
The Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War was the central area of operations in North America in the second half of the American Revolutionary War. During the first three years of the conflict, the primary military encounters had been in the north, focused on campaigns around the...
. Managed by a consortium of private donors and local governments, the area is also an affiliated unit of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
Included within the park are a variety of reconstructed and refurbished structures from the colonial era town site. The desire to control this territory was great for the British, as Camden was located on a crossroads of the routes to the largest Southern cities of Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
and Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. Many of these restored buildings contain revolutionary war artifacts recovered from the site. The park is also home to the mansion used as the British headquarters in the Carolinas by General Charles Cornwallis, during an eleven month Redcoat occupation of the town. Recreated fortifications are also contained within park boundaries.
The location of the principal Battle of Camden
Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War...
is nine miles (14 km) north of the site, while several other skirmishes occurred within 20 miles (32.2 km) of the town. Between the summers of 1780 and 1781, the British were able to claim victory in many of these assaults, but at the expense of high casualty rates. These costly struggles both weakened the Redcoats as a unit and spurred the momentum of an anti-war movement in the British Isles.