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The American Revolution
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Gates—who’d received much more credit for the victory at Saratoga than
he actually deserved—soon blundered into a disaster.
Gates moved against Camden, a British supply hub in the interior of
South Carolina. On the morning of August 16, 1780, he faced off against
Lord Cornwallis. The American force enjoyed a significant advantage in
troop numbers—about 3,100 versus 2,200. But Gates deployed inexpe-
rienced militia on his left flank, opposite the best regiments Cornwallis
had. The redcoats fired a volley and immediately charged. The militiamen,
who had no bayonets, ran away in panic. Continentals fromDelaware and
Maryland fought valiantly on the American right. Once British infantry
and cavalry had gotten behind them, though, nothing could prevent a rout.
In just an hour of fighting, the Americans suffered more than 900 dead
and wounded. Another thousand were captured. The remnants of Gates’s
army were scattered.
AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” the Declaration of
Independence famously said, “that all men are created equal.” At the
time, though, there were half a million black slaves in America—and
the Continental Congress had no plans to free them.
Still, an estimated 5,000 African Americans served in the Con-
tinental Army during the eight years of the Revolutionary War.
Several hundred more served in the Continental navy.
Some black soldiers were freemen. But many were slaves prom-
ised their freedom in exchange for military service. Most African
Americans in the Continental Army came from the northern states.
Maryland was the only southern state that permitted the enlistment
of blacks.
For their part, the British promised freedom to all runaway
slaves. Tens of thousands, mostly in the south, took them up on
that promise. But only a few thousand African Americans were
ever incorporated into the ranks of British military units. Far more
served as laborers.