Near Camden in Kershaw County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
General Gates's Disgrace
Photographed by Anna Inbody, October 2, 2011
1. General Gate's Disgrace Marker
Far removed from the battlefield, Gates assumed that his army had been defeated and he decided to go to Charlotte to regroup. Finding neither troops nor supplies there, Gates rode on to Hillsborough, NC to seek help from North Carolinas state legislature.
Although the Continental Congress initially backed Gates, his political enemies exploited his three-day journey from the battlefield as an act of cowardice. He was removed from command, and his reputation never recovered.
Was there ever an instance of a General running away as Gates has done? Alexander Hamilton
Erected by The Palmetto Conservation Foundation. (Marker Number 6.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Revolutionary.
Location. 34° 21.471′ N, 80° 36.422′ W. Marker is near Camden, South Carolina, in Kershaw County. It can be reached from Flat Rock Road (State Highway 58). 6.2 miles North of Camden
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Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands and in the Olde English District. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Collapse of the Patriot Militia (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Panic and Valor (about 600 feet away); The Forest of 1780 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Artillery Duel at Dawn (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Road to Battle (approx. 0.2 miles away); Contest with the Continentals (approx. 0.2 miles away); Meet the American Army of 1780 (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Armies March to Camden (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all
Photographed by Anna Inbody, October 2, 2011
2. Overview
More about this marker. This marker is part of an interpretive trail series at the Battle of Camden National Historic Landmark.
Photographed by Anna Inbody, October 2, 2011
3. Major General Horatio Gates
"Horatio Gates by Charles Willson Peale, from life, 1782" Courtesy of Independence National Historical Park.
Photographed by Anna Inbody, October 2, 2011
4. Picture on the marker
Gen. Gates, whom Congress had entrusted with supreme command of the southern army, rode 180 miles away from troops as they fell to ignominious defeat.
“I then endeavored to rally the Militia, but they ran like a Torrent, and bore all before them.” Gen. Horatio Gates
Credits. This page was last revised on March 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2011, by Anna Inbody of Columbia, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 929 times since then and 21 times this year. Last updated on March 26, 2025, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 9, 2011, by Anna Inbody of Columbia, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
