This updated article accompanies my April 12 blog post.
In the fall of 2022, under a veil of much-needed secrecy, fourteen sets of human remains were carefully removed from the Camden (SC) Battlefield. Forensic exams continued through the winter in Columbia and have been completed.
We know the men died on August 16, 1780. Twelve were patriots, members of the Continental Army’s Delaware and Maryland lines. One was a British soldier and the other a North Carolina loyalist militiaman. Analysis shows five were in their teens. I find it significant that twelve of the men were our country’s first fallen veterans.
On April 22, the men will be properly honored and re-buried exactly where they fell. Representatives of the armies of the United States and Great Britain will participate. Activities, and there are too many to list here, will include a concert, lectures, a funeral cortege, outdoor worship at Bethesda Presbyterian Church, and the reinterment ceremonies at the battlefield. Governor Henry McMaster and other dignitaries will speak. Camden will host thousands of visitors.
You will find excellent resources, including a full schedule at CamdenBurials.org.