tment. He proved unequal to the difficult task, for not only were
the troops few and miserably disciplined and armed, but they were in a
starving condition. The summer was one of the hottest ever known, and,
although reinforcements were expected, Gates decided not to wait before
putting his forces in motion. Reinforcements reaching him after a time,
he marched against Cornwallis, who was eager to meet him.

AMERICAN DEFEAT AT CAMDEN.

The battle was fought at Camden, and was conducted with such skill by
Cornwallis that the raw and untried patriots were utterly routed. The
centre and left wings were swept from the field, but the right under De
Kalb fought with splendid heroism, and it required the whole army of
Cornwallis to drive it from the field. In the fight De Kalb received
eleven wounds, and died the next morning.

The battle of Camden marked the complete destruction of Gates' army. The
militia scattered to their homes, convinced that it was useless to fight
longer, while Gates with a few adherents continued his flight for nearly
two hundred miles. Two days later, Colonel Sumter with eight hundred men
was attacked on the Wateree by Tarleton, who killed half his force and
recaptured his prisoners and booty.

PATRIOT PARTISANS.

Confident that the complete conquest of the South was close at hand,
Cornwallis gave every energy to the work. This was rendered difficult by
the activity of Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, Andrew Pickens, and other
partisan leaders, who were acquainted with every mile of the country,
and on their horses made swift marches, struck effective blows, and were
off again before pursuit could be made. The wonderful work of Marion in
this respect caused him to be known as the "Swamp Fox of the Carolinas."
Many of Tarleton's troopers fell before the fire of these daring
rangers, who occasionally were strong enough to capture important posts.
It is worthy of mention in this place that to Sumter was the distinction
of attaining the greatest age of any officer of the Revolution. At his
death, in 1832, he was in his ninety-ninth year.

AN INTERESTING ANECDOTE.

As illustrative of the spirit of the Southern colonists, we may be
pardoned for the digression of the following anecdote. The fighting of
Marion and his men was much like that of the wild Apaches of the
southwest. When hotly pursued by the enemy his command would break up
into small parties, and these as they were hard pressed would su