Cowpens-Guilford Courthouse Campaign Refought: Battle of Camden

  January 1781

General Morgan invades South Carolina with his Light Troops.  He successfully linklinked up with Pickens' South Carolina brigade and  Sumter's brigade.

 Morgan decided to attack the British base at Camden.  Outnumbered but trusting in his better quality troops Lord Rawson matches out to attack him.

Morgan deployed his troops along the ridge line overlooking Camden .He placed his brigade of Light troops in the center.  Picken's brigade covered his right while Sumter's brigade covered his left.  All three commanders held their cavalry in reserve  the rifle armed troops covered each flank.

Advancing through a gap.in the woods Lord Rawdon advanced straight for Sumter's brigade.  He held his tiny cavalry force in reserve and led with the Volunteers of Ireland and New York Volunteers.  The Royal North Carolina Regiment and South Carolina Royalists followed behind  his loyalist militia covered his left flank.

The American Riflemen free first blood .They caused a couple hits to the Royal North Carolina Regiment who passed morale and continued their advance .But Picken's men fired a devastating round which caused six casualties among the militia.  They failed their morale test and routed off the board.

 Rawdon brought his cavalry into the field to cover his exposed get flank  , which caused Picken's riflemen to retire behind his infantry.  The Royal  North Carolina Regiment advanced into the woods to drive back the riflemen.  Matching forward the Volunteers of Ireland and New York Volunteers traded vollies with Sumter's militia.  The militia got The worse of it and both battalions failed their morale test and routed off the board taking Sumter's cavalry with them.  



at this point the game turned against the British.  Coffin's cavalry charged one of Picken's militia battalions who calmly shot it to pieces . As the cavalry routed off the table Picken's cavalry and rifles emerged from the woods and threatened the British left flank.  While one of his militia battalions engaged the South Carolina Royalists to their front the other battalion flanked them.  Morgan had  the Maryland Delaware Light battalion charge the New York volunteers.   The melee saw the Volunteers defeated  and fall back.  Tripplett's Virginians held the Volunteers of Ireland.

With his line crumbling Rawdon ordered the Royal North Carolina Regiment and the Volunteers to save themselves and dashed back to Camden to organize its defense.  Morgan, having destroyed a fine British  army and avenged last year's defeat at Camden retired to join up with Greene's army.  Although Tarleton and his legion  tried to intercept him he failed (poor die rolling)  and Morgan escaped  to fight another day.  

The American army won a decisive victory and were awarded 5 points. Cornwallis, infuriated with the result gathered his field force to chase down Morgan and Greene.