"The Mysterious March of Horatio Gates" Topic
5 Posts
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Tango01 | 19 Oct 2020 1:18 p.m. PST |
"Following the American surrender at Charleston on May 12, 1780, the Continental Army's "Southern Department" was in disarray. Taken prisoner that day were 245 officers and 2,326 enlisted, including Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, the Southern Department's commander-in-chief, along with militia and armed citizens, the most American prisoners surrendered at one time during the American Revolution.[1] That summer, scattered elements of the Continental Army regrouped in central North Carolina under command of Johann Kalb, the European officer and self-proclaimed "Baron de Kalb." Earlier that spring, Kalb had been placed in charge of the first and second Maryland brigades, along with the Delaware Regiment and the 1st Artillery with eighteen field pieces—about 1,400 soldiers in all. Marching from Morristown, New Jersey, in mid-April, their mission was to relieve Charleston and serve as a nucleus for Southern militia. But arriving in central North Carolina in late June, Kalb found Charleston already surrendered and provisions and militia reinforcements scarce throughout the South…" Main page link Amicalement Armand
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Bill N | 20 Oct 2020 8:11 a.m. PST |
The article does a better job than the traditional narrative in explaining Gates' actions in the period leading up to Camden. It does still fall a little short. Supplying the army was going to be a problem no matter which route Gates took. This wasn't simply a matter of indifference on the part of the local governments. The transportation infrastructure wasn't there and the foodstuffs weren't there. A body of men 200 strong having knowledge of the local situation might find an area to be well supplied. An army of 2,000 showing up without that knowledge, without funds and foraging indiscriminately might find supplies in that same area scanty and the population hostile. Gates decision to move southward quickly made sense in light of the intel he had. At the same time that Gates was taking over from Kalb Sumter wrote Kalb a report outlining the location and strengths of the British forces in South Carolina and Georgia. While it probably undercounted the overall British, Provincial and Hessian troops it was reasonably accurate in stating that there were 700 troops at Camden. Rebel partisans were active behind Camden which would indicate that post was exposed. What Sumter didn't know was that Cornwallis was in the process of concentrating his troops at Camden for his own purposes. The 71st was either moved to Camden or retired there when driven from Cheraw. Other troops moved up to Camden from Charleston. The situation around Camden in mid August was much different than the situation in late July. Plus the 63rd regiment was on its way to Camden, but arrived after the battle. I have no idea about Gate's attitude towards cavalry. Gates had Armand's Legion, which was mostly Armand's command from up north reinforced by 30 troopers from Pulaski's Legion that he had remounted. Elements of the Virginia State Horse had been operating in the south. Gates also had a number of mounted militia, not useful as cavalry but still useful for recon and rapid movement. |
Tango01 | 20 Oct 2020 12:42 p.m. PST |
Thanks!. Amicalement Armand
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WillBGoode | 22 Oct 2020 7:28 a.m. PST |
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Brechtel198 | 28 Oct 2020 4:55 a.m. PST |
Perhaps the word 'incompetent' should be substituted for 'mysterious.' The bottom line is that Granny Gates was not a good field commander at any level. |
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